Undying Tears
by Lerixia
Summary: Sequel to Undying Love and Determination! For Naruto and Hinata, family was always hard for them but what will they do with more family members? 'Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant earlier' Will tears of happiness be shed or not? NaruxHina
1. Hinata Uzumaki

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Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine and never will be.

Hinata Uzumaki

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-Hinata's POV-

My name is Hinata Uzumaki. I'm currently 22 turning 23 and happily married to Naruto. Though married, we have rules to obey or we'd be separated. We are used to that now as we had been through it before. We were almost split up when we met as slaves for the Uchiha clan. Sasuke, our master, loved me for my beauty and wanted to have me. We escaped with a friend, Tenten and with the help of Mikoto Uchiha.

The next problem was getting our relationship through to father. He hated Naruto because a demon was sealed inside of him. Naruto left to Suna for answers because father called him a demon. I was told that Sasuke and I were to marry soon and without Naruto, I couldn't get myself out of the mess. When we were about to become and official couple, Naruto showed up and knocked some sense into a few people. Father then allowed us to marry and here we are with rules to follow.

Never mind our past though; there is so much to say about what happened recently. Naruto had become Jounin. He had matured quite a bit since when we first met. I am Chuunin. He is a bit dumb sometimes but that's what I love about him! I was also taught how to seal the Kyubi in case it was ever released. From then on, I went on every mission Naruto went on. It made me happy to be with him.

We shall continue now on our latest story. Enjoy!

-End of POV-

It was a week before Hinata's 23rd birthday and that night was the full moon. Hinata knew that her time had come…to become Head of the Hyuga clan. She knew it was held that that night when the moon was up. She didn't understand why her father chose the night of the full moon as it was sometimes a curse to her. It might've been a tradition as white was a symbolic colour for the clan. For the entire day, Naruto wasn't with her. He was getting himself ready and helping every one with the preparations.

Maids came in to serve Hinata and get her ready when the first ray of sunlight hit Konoha. The maids woke her up and she found herself without her husband. Usually, Naruto stayed in bed until Hinata woke up herself before he did anything except for when he had a mission.

The maids bathed her in a bath of sweet smelling oil. The oil had contained vitamin E to keep her skin as radiant as the sun. Hinata somewhat enjoyed it as she never had to lift a finger. The bath took around two hours to fully cleanse the woman's body. The maids were completely satisfied with their work but they continued to work like bees as there was more to do and not enough time to do it. The next thing was to dress Hinata. She wore a silk white dress underneath to hide her body from the maids. The maids then put the ceremonial kimono on. For what seemed like hours, they fiddled with the kimono, checking to see if it was perfect. By eleven, Hinata's maids started to do her hair. Every strand of her hair was on top of her head. It was in a shape of a distorted triangle. The style of hair was a popular tradition for ancient clans and had been passed on for formal events. This process took three hours of doing as it was hard and some of the maids were new. They carefully placed a traditional Chinese hat which had strands of blue instead of red. **(1)**

The maids had to decorate Hinata's face with a layer of make-up next. They made Hinata's face whiter than it was before. On her eyes were light blue eye-shadow and her lips were a pale pink. This took another three hours due to many mistakes.

Lastly, they put on the Hyuga cloak on top of the heavy clothing. Their last hour was used to make Hinata look perfect for the special occasion.

---

While Hinata was getting ready, Hiashi and Naruto did the same. Hiashi prepared himself for the ceremony a couple of hours after Hinata did, while Naruto helped with preparations until eight in the morning. One thing was for sure, this ceremony was going to be big.

After boring hours of doing nothing except wait for his servants to be satisfied, Naruto was finally ready for the ceremony.

---

The ceremony was held in a clearing near the Hyuga compound. The land was owned by the Hyuga clan and was worth quite a bit. Naruto was escorted to the area as he had never been there before. He went by foot with a Hyuga guard in front of him. They walked until there were large gates in front of them. Walls stretched its way to somewhere Naruto didn't know about. The area of the land was very large. He thought of what could be inside until the Hyuga guard concentrated chakra to his palm and slammed the large gate open. He then gestured Naruto to follow.

The area was cleared from trees with well-cared grass replacing the them. Every square centimetre was covered in fresh green grass. It gave a nice scent of freedom to the Hyuga land. Naruto looked at everything there was to see. Seats were placed and a white platform was seen at the front. Hiashi, who was already there, stood on the platform. He saw his father-in-law gestured him to come. Naruto followed Hiashi's orders and walked to him. He stepped up the platform and was then by Hiashi's side.

"Naruto, you do know what will happen?"

"I know, Hinata will become heir and I will too," Naruto answered.

"Yes, you will gain power over the Hyuga clan; however, your power is less than the power given to Hinata as she was born as a Hyuga. Is there anything you don't understand?"

"No Hiashi-san. I understand everything," he said with his infamous grin on his face.

No more words were spoken by the two of them. In the silence, Naruto watched the servants put everything in place. Soon, the rest of the Hyuga clan arrived. Neji, Tenten and Hanabi were seated at the front. It wasn't long before all seats were filled. All the Hyuga members were there to see their new heir. Tsunade was even on the platform to confirm all it all.

As if we were back into the times of prince and princesses, trumpets played to announce the arrival of the new leader. Hinata came in, sitting inside a small carriage. It was driven by the finest driver and horse. A servant opened the door and helped her exit the carriage. It was like a wedding, the Hyuga members stood up and bowed down respectfully. Hinata then began walking down the aisle to the platform. While she walked, she looked up at the moon, hoping nothing bad would happen. Once she arrived, Hiashi spoke.

"Hyuga members, you may sit." They sat. "We will now begin the ceremony."

Half an hour passed and Hiashi was finally ready to hand down his position. He took a necklace off of his neck and placed it in the palm of Hinata's hand. It had a pendant of an owl made of white ivory. It hung on a smooth brown leather string.

"My daughter Hinata, I give you this pendant to symbolise your rank as Head of the Hyuga clan." Hiashi lowered head to his daughter's ear. "It is also your early birthday present." He then turned to Naruto and handed him a smaller size of the pendant with nothing to hang onto. "My son-in-law Naruto, I give you this to symbolise your rank as the husband of the Head." He went to the back of the platform, leaving Naruto and Hinata at the front until Tsunade stepped up.

"I, the 5th Hokage, approves of this. Fellow Hyuga members, bow before your new leader."

Everyone stood up, and bowed. Every one was happy to have a kind leader. Maybe the Branch family could be more carefree because of Hinata. Once they all stood up straight, the Branch family cheered. Tsunade smiled and then left. She had more work to do.

Hinata suddenly turned to Naruto, all excited with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Talking about early birthday present, where's mine?"

"It's a surprise and I'm not giving it to you until it's your birthday."

"Can I pick a present for tonight, for my early birthday present and another to congratulate my position as Head?"

"I guess."

With permission to have an early birthday present, she turned to her father and asked if she and Naruto could go home early. Having no choice, he said yes.

The carriage was parked near the gates. Hinata grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him with her.

"Why are we going back home?" Naruto asked, confused.

"For my present of course. Why else would we be going back?"

Naruto got into the carriage while Hinata ordered the driver to take them to the Hyuga compound. She entered and sat next to him, kissing him on the lips. Realising what was going on, he pulled away.

"Now I know what you want but why?"

"I've been waiting for so long for my 23rd birthday. Now that I've been made Head, and it's only days before my birthday, the rule for having children is now weakening. I'm sure you've been waiting for this too, right?"

It was true; he had been waiting for her 23rd birthday. He smirked. "As you wish."

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**(1)** Think of the hat that Empress's wore in the ancient China times.

I'm letting it stop there otherwise it wouldn't really suit some people. Anyway, I'm sorry for the long wait. I couldn't decide what plot to go along with until I found this one as this plot makes more sense. If there are any questions, please ask me. Apart from that, please review!

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	2. A New Mission

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. 

Last time:

"The rule for having children is now weakening. I'm sure you've been waiting for this too, right?"

It was true; he had been waiting for her 23rd birthday. He smirked. "As you wish."

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A New Mission

That night would have to be one of the best. They were made Head of the Hyuga clan and they…celebrated in their way. Their want for it was finally achieved. They slept in their own bedroom; soon they would move into a larger, it was only one of the privileges they received. More of them would come along as time went on.

Naruto, who already had Hinata in his arms moved closer to her and kissed her hidden forehead. She was shorter than him, making him think of her as a living teddy bear, not in a bad way though but the way little kids loved to play and cuddle them. That was how he felt. How he loved to cuddle her during the night.

He felt her stir beneath him, making him groan in displeasure. He wanted a few more minutes together like that.

"Why are you groaning?" she asked.

"I wanted you to stay still for a little while longer. I was just getting comfy."

There was silence. Naruto didn't mind, at least he had more time to stay in the position they were already in. Hinata, started to think. She thought of many things, about her past and Naruto's past. Why? Only Lord knew. Suddenly, she thought of Naruto's childhood, when he was out in the streets, alone, being beaten up by every one just because he was the container of Kyubi.

"I know you are the container of the Kyubi but why were you beaten up for it? The villagers should think of you as a hero," she said in a quiet voice.

He only tightened his grip, making Hinata feel more secure. "They didn't understand, that's why. Most of them must've lost a special person and because they knew Kyubi was inside me, they turned their rage to me. Besides, I should be thanking them. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be having a dream to follow."

Hinata kept silent from there. She found it horrid for people to treat a young boy but she understood how they felt, to lose a special person. Yes they would've had to take out the sorrow some way but to attack a small innocent boy…that was not right.

They stayed together, mentally comforting each other. It soothed Hinata greatly to feel her husband's arms around her. It made Naruto smile to have Hinata his. But that was all ruined when someone knocked on the door. It was Neji.

"Hinata-sama, Naruto-sama, Tsunade wants you two in her office as soon as possible."

They both got up and prepared themselves to meet up with Tsunade. Naruto had hoped for it to be a mission as Tsunade had recently called for him only to tell him a few things. They left the building and leaped through the village until they arrived at the Hokage Tower.

"Yo, Tsunade-baachan, what's up?"

"I have just received information that Sasuke left to see Orochimaru for power. I've already sent Jiraiya to investigate."

"Why did we need to know that?" Naruto asked.

"Because since you are most likely to become the next Hokage, you need to know. If he attacks to get Hinata while you're in power, it would be a good thing that you knew and already had ninja ready to defend Konoha in case of war. Moving along now, I am giving the two of you a mission. The strongest clan in the Land of the Whirlpool is in need of help. The current Head needs to find her son to give him the position of Head. She is also a dying woman; you must find the clan and find her son. Once her son has been given the position, you may come back."

"What's the clan's name?" Hinata asked.

Tsunade laughed nervously. "Tonton ate it the piece of paper that had he information on it."

"That's the lamest excuse Baa-chan!"

"It's the truth!" She turned to Shizune for back up. Shizune nodded her head, confirming it was the truth. "Case closed. So, here is the route to get here. And before you ask on how to find the clan, ask around. Don't forget Tonton ate the information paper."

Naruto snatched the map from Tsunade's hand. He walked out the office mumbling to himself: "Old lady, can't do anything right. She looks to be 20 when she's actually-"

"Is there something you want to say?" she asked in the eeriest voice. He knew she had her fist ready to hit him.

"N-no."

With that, Naruto and Hinata left the office to Shizune, Tonton and a very pissed off Tsunade.

Naruto quickly made his way back home with Hinata walking behind him. When he was a good distance away from Tsunade, he finally slowed his pace. He sighed in relief, Tsunade wasn't following him and he was able to live a little while longer.

"You do know if you don't want to get flicked by Hokage-sama, then don't say bad things about her within a 50 metre radius. She has quite good hearing when it comes to being old."

"I can't help it. If she's going to be a klutz then that's what she'll get from me. Besides, she is old, somewhere in the late 70s or something like that."

"I guess so."

"Let's forget about Tsunade-baachan okay? We have a bit of packing to do."

Within half an hour, they were ready to leave for the Land of the Whirlpool. They left from the East Gate. A good sized boat was waiting for them at the shore. Naruto was excited but at the same time, disappointed. They were only looking for a missing son; at least it was a mission though. As for Hinata, she felt sick at the though of the sea. She her foot hold and bumped into Naruto, startling him.

"Hinata, you alright?" he asked.

She held his arm for balance. Once she regained her balance, she answered, "I'm fine."

"Okay then, let's go!"

She smirked to herself, sensing the two had left Konoha. 'Naruto, you will get a big surprise. Tell me everything once you get back.'

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Chapter 2 is finished! Okay, as I am almost finished with the new characters for the continuation of the 'Undying' Trilogy, I'd like to thank RasenganFin and Innocence Is A Virtue for helping me decide the pairings and names.  
By the way, I have just released a oneshot story about Sasuke and Sakura. The name is 'Torn to Pieces'. I think it's my best oneshot story yet.  
Thanks and please review!

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	3. The Shocking Truth

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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Last time:

She smirked to herself, sensing the two had left Konoha. 'Naruto, you will get a big surprise. Tell me everything once you get back.'

The Shocking Truth

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After a couple of hours, Naruto and Hinata had reached the shore. A boat bobbed up and down in the water. On it was a young man, around the age of 17, cleaning the decks. He wore a navy blue sweater and pants with a large straw hat to finish it off. Guessing it was their boat, they walked to him. As they came closer, he stopped cleaning the boat and took a good look at them.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san, Hyuga-san, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you," he said. He had a cheerful smile on his face and a happy tone. He seemed to be a kind fellow. But he knowing their names had confused them. They had never met him before.

Seeing they were confused he continued. "Ah, gomen, Tsunade-sama told me that you two were coming this way and reserved a boat for you. It's been a while since I last seen her. I'm the son of a close friend of hers. My family own theses boats and gladly take people to where ever they wish as long as the place isn't dangerous."

Finally understanding everything, Naruto started. "What's your name?"

"Oh I am terribly sorry. My name is Unabara Kaizu (surname first then given name)."

"Kaizu-kun, we need to go to the Land of the Whirlpool," Hinata said.

Kaizu's smile became larger, from ear to ear. "That's where I was born! Of course I'll take you there! It'll bring back good memories! Come aboard."

The couple did so gladly. Kaizu excitedly cut the rope that kept the boat near land and ran to the steering wheel with that big smile. While they were still settling onto the boat, it gave a small jerk and then sailed smoothly. Hinata was instantly feeling sick because of this. Feeling digested food and liquid going up her throat; she turned to face the sea and spewed everything out.

"Hinata, what's wrong. Are you seasick?"

She faced Naruto with a weak smile, "I guess I'm feeling a bit seasick, yeah."

Assured, Naruto left to talk with Kaizu. Hinata took this opportunity to think to herself without Naruto noticing.

'Usually I'm not seasick, maybe it's because I haven't been on a boat for so long. Or maybe…that night, no, that can't be and I won't believe it!'

"Oi, Hinata, want to come and join our conversation?"

She nodded a 'yes' and left to join them. Hopefully it would get her mind off it. She carefully walked to them, once getting, she listened to catch what was going on.

They all sat on the wooden floor. Kaizu had one hand trying to steer the boat correctly. There were a few sudden jerks but they were still on the right course.

"Kaizu is just telling me a bit about the Land of the Whirlpool," Naruto explained.

Kaizu faked a cough to get their attention. He looked at them sternly, this seemed to be serious. "I was born in the Land of the Whirlpool, as you know, it is quite small but it's a very kind place. Our leader is very kind too. From what I know, her clan escaped a war or something and found the Land of the Whirlpool. It wasn't inhabited so it made it their's. The Head of the clan became our leader but because of her condition, her brother has taken over. She is ill with a dangerous disease but because the land is low on doctors, she is most likely to die within a year. It's blood problems or something, I don't know but I think it was because of her past. No-one except her clan knows about the story. So our new leader is taking her place now, he's as good as her but he's getting old you see. The clan is seeking for the lady's son. He is to be found within eight months or the position of leader and Head will be given to someone that is less caring than them."

"Do you know the name of the clan?" Naruto asked.

"I heard that they named the land after their clan name. I don't know though. The villagers don't know much of them because they were ashamed of a member and they don't want to be more ashamed so they keep themselves private."

Naruto was stunned at what he heard. "That would be U-Uzumaki."

"Yeah, I think that's it! Well, that's what I was told."

"Then, that means, I'm a part of that clan."

"Huh? How?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." It made his heart ache to think that his mother could be alive and he wasn't even taken care of or wasn't cared by the clan. He wanted to feel the love of a parent and he could've had it, if only his mother stayed in Konoha. "I'm going to our room." He left with his hand on his head, rubbing it to relieve the headache he received.

"Come on Naruto-san, stay with us for a little while!" Kaizu cried as he returned to his cheerful side.

"Leave me alone!"

Kaizu blinked in surprise, he hadn't seen a person so upset because of a clan. "What's his problem?"

She sighed as she gave him a quick summary of Naruto's story. "Naruto never knew his parents. His father died and his mother, well, we don't know. From what we know, she fled from our village. He grew up alone and was beaten up by every one because…because…"

"Because what?" he asked.

Tears were seen in the corner of her eyes as she remembered his story again. "I can't say, it's a secret which I can get punished if I told anyone without Naruto's permission." She paused to wipe the tears away. "There was no-one there to protect him. I saw it all but I couldn't help, father didn't allow it. Then, he was kidnapped to become a slave. He doesn't know what it feels to be loved by a mother or father. The last time that happened was when he was born." She stopped the story there. "I'm sorry for breaking down like this but his past is so horrible." 'Like many other Jinchuuriki's.' "I'll go talk to him."

She got up and left, leaving Kaizu to sail the boat alone once again. He was just starting to like their company. He jumped up from the ground and began steering the boat properly.

* * *

He stared to the ceiling on his bed. He would sleep but he was on a mission, they could arrive at their destination at any moment. He could also cry but that would show signs of weakness. He remembered when he was beaten up on the streets and how he cried through the night.

He heard the door creak open and light footsteps entering. "Naruto, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk about it with me? It can help." Naruto slowly sat up from his bed.

"No thanks." He sighed and ran his hand through his wild hair. After a minute of silence, Naruto started to speak. "What am I to you?"

Hinata froze. Naruto had asked this question a few times but only when he was really troubled and needed to prove his existence, that he was real and not some spirit. She sat next to him in his bed. She held his hand, rubbing it against her right cheek. "Well, I see my strong husband who has the will to go on, who has the power to protect every one he cares for. I also see a young boy inside of you, needing the love of a parent to continue with life. You are physically strong but not a hundred percent mentally." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I also see the person who I can trust with every thing I know about, a person who will listen to me and help me with my problems. You're my rock to lean on when I'm troubled."

"And you're mine too," he ended. He closed his eyes and slowly opened them again. "You think we should go back outside? Kaizu might be worried." Hinata nodded with a happy smile, happy that Naruto could return to his normal self. Together, they stood up and left the room alone and empty.

* * *

Kaizu, who was steering the ship, saw the couple come out with smiles on their faces. "Hinata-san, Naruto-san, you two alright?" He called out to them. The reply he was given was a foxy grin and giggling from the lady.

Knowing they were fine, he continued with his work. With the sea breeze hitting against his face and happy passengers, he couldn't help but join in with the smiling frenzy.

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End of chapter three. Note this, I won't be updating for around a week! I'll be gone on camp. By the time I get back, hopefully, the next day I'll put up the new chapter. Wait patiently because I don't want my fun ruined by annoyed readers. For the vomitting, I'm not sure how the thing works so please forgive me if it is a bit early for it! Please review and ask me any questions that are bothering you. Thanks.

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	4. Stormy Seas and a Peaceful Land

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Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. 

Last time:

"Then, that means, I'm a part of that clan."

---

With the sea breeze hitting against his face and happy passengers, he couldn't help but join in with the smiling frenzy.

Stormy Seas and a Peaceful Land

* * *

She spewed once again, thinking of if it was possible. She was certain she wasn't seasick. For a second, she felt kind of sorry for the fish that had to put up with her. It was only for another few hours and there would be no more. She thought of the night they celebrated. They did it because she was almost old enough to do it and if she did get pregnant, they wouldn't get into any trouble. Her attention switched to Naruto. Did he see her vomit or not? 

Naruto, this time didn't seem to notice. He was talking to Kaizu like an old friend. She was glad he didn't see her as she was certain she was bearing a child. She never intended to have a child yet but it made her happy to think of holding their child in her arms. They wouldn't get into trouble for having a child anyway. By the time it would be born, it would be around August and she would already be 23 as well. The thought bearing a child didn't bug her but telling Naruto did. She thought of how he may react once she told him. Would he be happy? She also needed time to think of what to say and what to do in the future. Walking slowly, she entered their room.

In the corner of his eye, he watched Hinata. He knew what was going on and decided for her to tell him at the right time. He just hoped she didn't say it at the wrong.

"Oi, Naruto-san, are you listening to me?" Kaizu asked, annoyed.

"Yeah." Kaizu continued talking about how he moved to the shore with his mother and father and created a small business. As he babbled on about his story, Naruto looked carefully out in the distance. In the distance, land was seen. He asked Kaizu if it was the Land of the Whirlpool.

"Why yes, that's my home land!" He jumped with joy while Naruto prepared himself for the shock he was about to receive. "We'll be there in an hour or two. You'll love it there, I know you will!"

"I'm sure I'll like it too." He then walked away to inform Hinata of the news. He found her sitting on her bed playing with her fingers while staring at them. She looked troubled and didn't notice him come in.

"Hinata," he said.

No answer so he tried again. "Hinata."

She jerked her head back up in surprise. "Naruto, when did you come in?"

"Just then. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that we'll be arrived in an hour or two."

She listened to him but didn't answer. After he spoke, she continued to think of what to do. Naruto knew what she was doing but asked anyway.

"Oh nothing, I'm just wondering if we'll fail this mission," she lied. "I mean, we have failed quite a few before and father did seem upset."

"Okay, I get you when we arrive, is that fine?"

"Super," she answered. So Naruto left her as she continued thinking.

Outside, Naruto watched as the island came closer to them. He thought of many things, Hinata, his parents, Kyubi, Konoha and more relating to his past. It was around half an hour later did he snap out of it. Kaizu was screaming out a warning.

"There are whirlpools ahead of us! Naruto-san, get Hinata-san and stick with her! This is going to be one heck of a ride!"

He quickly ran to their room once Kaizu's warning ended. Hinata was still sitting on her bed, troubled. Without warning, he slid his arms around her waist and held her tightly. She gasped in shock. It was quite sudden.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Whirlpools ahead," was his answer. Together, they waited for a sudden burst in speed. Curious, Naruto wanted to see what Kaizu was doing. "Hinata, can you stay here, hold tightly onto something until I get back," he yelled as the winds were strong and had blocked out their voices. Hinata nodded innocently so he left.

He saw two of him. It seemed to be a Kage Bunshin since it wasn't an illusion. The Kage Bunshin looked out into the distance and steered the boat. Kaizu was standing at the railing. He did his best to get to him as quickly as he could.

"Kaizu, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to keep the boat safe from the whirlpools." He formed hand signs and said the name of the technique. "Bubble Conveyor!"

Water from the sea gathered around the boat forming a bubble. It lifted the boat off of sea and into the air. The boat was slowly carried over the many whirlpools below them. Naruto looked over the edge and saw quite a few boats being sucked into the sea. As they were above the largest whirlpool, Kaizu's technique weakened. The bubble started to drip back into the sea as if it was melting ice. Kaizu strained himself to keep the boat up but failed. A hole was soon formed above them. As the hole got bigger and bigger, they dropped lower and lower towards the dangerous sea. They were still above the large whirlpool. If he didn't help, they would swirl to the bottom of the sea. Naruto rushed to his help. He concentrated chakra into his hands and the water came back up. They were rising back up again. The technique took out quite a bit of chakra out of Naruto, tiring him.

"Slowly absorb your chakra now or we'll land in the middle of the land!" he instructed. They both did so. The boat slowly lowered back into the water. After a few minutes of resting, the boat hit the shore.

"Naruto is it safe?" came a voice from their room.

"Yep, come out and enjoy the breeze while we rest for a while longer!"

Hinata came out to find the two men breathing heavily. Beads of sweat were seen on Kaizu's forehead.

"Hey Kaizu, why'd you ask me to keep Hinata safe?" Naruto asked.

"Because, I've rarely used that technique and the last couple of times, I failed. The boat fell to the water. Boy was it hard to steer the boat to safety! The passengers never came back to us for a ride. I thought it would happen again so yeah. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have made it." They all heard a poof as the Kage Bunshin disappeared.

"What happened exactly?" asked Hinata, interrupting their conversation.

"Oh, I used Bubble Conveyor to take us safely to the Land of the Whirlpool. It's a technique that only the villagers know. It helps keep intruders away from our land."

"I guess we'll be going now," Naruto said as he stood, followed by Hinata. Kaizu led them off of the boat and onto land. The land was firm and made Hinata incredibly happy.

"I'll see you two soon, eh? Until then Hinata-san, Naruto-san, good bye."

"See you soon Kaizu."

"Yes and thank you for the ride."

They waved each other good bye until Kaizu could no longer see them. He turned to his boat and waited for a new passenger.

The sand they walked on was soft and brown. Naruto turned back to look at the sea before they entered the land. Where he was, the sun was high and shone brightly. While on the sea, there were many storms and whirlpools to keep intruders out. They were soon walked on a dirt path. It led them to an unprotected village. It was like a miniature size of Konoha. There just wasn't any Hokage Monuments. They walked until villagers were visible. Laughter from little kids was easily heard. There was a smile on everyone's faces. There wasn't a single sole that was poor or ultimately rich and powerful. It settled it, this village was peaceful, happy one, almost like Konoha.

"If only this was Konoha," Hinata commented.

"Yeah, I guess my clan has made a very good village."

They continued walking into the deeper parts of the Land of the Whirlpool. Naruto didn't know why but his feet took him there. They didn't stop until they met a large building, smaller than the Hyuga compound. It was guarded by red walls. There was a large gate, like the one at the private Hyuga land. On the poles next to it, it said "Uzumaki".

* * *

Chapter four is done! Okay, I've tried my very best to explain why Naruto and Hinata "celebrated". I'll try again just in case. Because it was only a week before Hinata's birthday, the rule to having kids has weakened. Due to that, Hinata was allowed to do "that" and if she did get pregnant, she would be old enough anyway. Don't worry; I got myself confused while writing that part. With that sort of explained, once again, please ask me any questions if you are confused and I will answer them unless their just plain stupid questions. 

Also, just wanting to say, while I was away, I spotted a restaurant called the Minato Restaurant. It has a very good reason to be named that. Check an online dictionary if you don't know what minato means. Just sayinag. Okay, please review guys and girls!

* * *


	5. The Uzumaki Residence

* * *

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine and never will be. By the way, Unabara Kaizu is my creation.

Last time:

They didn't stop until they met a large building, smaller than the Hyuga compound. It was guarded by red walls. There was a large gate, like the one at the private Hyuga land. On the poles next to it, it said "Uzumaki".

The Uzumaki Residence

* * *

He was stunned...so the stuff that Kaizu had told him were all true. He felt angered yet so happy. He turned to Hinata who nodded to him with a small hopeful smile. Up on the walls stood two guards. They wore a simple blue kimono with a white edging.

"What is your business?" One yelled in a kind tone.

"We're Konoha shinobi. Tsunade-baachan sent us here to find the Head's missing son. Could you let us in please?" Naruto explained. The guard saw the headbands with wide eyes. Tsunade really did send shinobi to help them.

"Why," they jumped to the ground and bowed down before them. "When you go back to Konoha, please tell Hokage-sama we kindly thank her for helping us, even when we failed to serve Konoha." The doors pulled open. Inside there was a beautiful garden. Birds, rabbit and many other small creatures found homes there. Another dirt path was seen; it split the garden to two and led them to a large mansion. The guards guided them to the entrance and called for other people to take their place. A cheerful looking girl with orange hair and sparkling blue eyes guided them to the Head's room. She wore the same blue kimono as the guards. As she happily led them, Naruto quietly spoke to Hinata.

"Why did they bow down before us? We're only Konoha shinobi doing our mission," he whispered. Hinata only shrugged in reply before thinking like she was before.

"We're here!" the small girl announced cheerfully. She pointed to a room. They heard coughing from inside. "Uzumaki-sama is sick; I do hope she gets better. If she doesn't…" she bowed down like the guards. "Please find her son so we may continue living in peace!" She stood back up again and knocked on the door. "The Konoha shinobi are here to see you Uzumaki-sama."

"Okay, thank you for bringing them here." The girl then skipped away. "Please come in."

Naruto pulled the door open to find an old lady with fading red hair in bed and a younger lady next to her. She had an almost shocking red hair with streaks of a lighter colour.

She stood up and walked to them. "Welcome to our home. Our leader, Uzumaki-sama, is my aunt and is quite sick. Since our doctors are not of a high level, she may die within the next half year. My father is currently taking her position of leader, Kachuukage." There was silence before she realised her rudeness. "I'm terribly sorry, my name is Uzumaki Mika. My father's name is Uzumaki Kajou and as for my aunt, her name is Uzumaki Kushina."

"Show me their faces." Their attention went towards the old woman. Her voice was quiet but full of determination.

"Hai Uzumaki-sama." Mika allowed them to sit next to Kushina. The woman opened her eyes. She took a good look at the two shinobi. When she laid her eyes on Naruto, her eyes widened in shock.

"Could you possibly be? Did I not have to look for him? Naruto?" She raised her hand and caressed his cheek. It was smooth, not one bit bumpy from the whisker marks. She instantly knew what those whisker marks were when she ran her fingers above it.

"Your father…" A tear was seen in the corner of her eye. "He really did save Konoha from Kyubi, didn't he, my son?"

Those words struck him, deep in the heart. Was it all a dream or was this actually happening. He trembled in confusion, anger and joy. His mother was right there in front of him, stroking his cheek.

"Are you really my mother?"

Hinata sat next to him, quietly. She listened carefully to every word. She too felt his feelings. It made her heart ache. She did her very best to fight those tears back.

"Yes."

"Then why weren't you there for me?" he asked, slapping away his mother's hand. "Why weren't you there for me when I needed you most?" He stood up with tears streaming from his. Hinata got herself ready in case if anything bad happened.

Kushina looked into the eyes of her son sadly. "I'm sorry but after you were born, I fell unconscious and was taken to the Land of the Whirlpool where the rest of the clan was."

"I could've died if it wasn't for Hinata!"

"Naruto, you better not get all upset, she's weak right now. I'll try and heal her, okay? Until then, keep calm. I don't want it to be released."

He sighed and sat back down. "I'm sorry."

"Mika, take them to their rooms." She ordered.

"Rooms? What are you talking about? Hinata's my wife! Can't we share the one room?"

"Of course," Kushina said with a smile. "I just didn't know you two were married."

"Shall I take them to the one room then?" Mika asked.

"Yes."

Mika then escorted them to their room, not far away from Kushina's. It was large, decorated by paintings on pieces of silk. One of the paintings was framed in gold. It had a painting to the Fourth Hokage, his father. His eyes were stuck to that picture. They looked so much alike. He forcefully turned his head to take in his new surrounding. The walls were yellow, a nice warm and happy colour. It was like an apartment already furnished for you. How lovely it was.

"I'm so glad we have found you so easily and a beautiful woman who knows about medical conditions and medicines. Please make yourself at home." With a bow, Mika left the room to continue her duties.

"It's nice, what do you think Hinata?" Once again Hinata was deep in thought. Naruto sighed. She took every opportunity to think about what to do. To him, it didn't matter. He was going to have a child, what could make him happier? "Hinata, I think you should rest while I make us some lunch." She nodded like a zombie and sat on the nearest item to sit on.

Knowing what would do Hinata good, he made the healthiest and simple thing to make, a sandwich, with wholemeal bread, lettuce, tomato and cheese. He served the sandwich on a small clay plate painted with red swirls.

Hinata seemed surprised to receive it. She was expecting ramen, not a healthy sandwich. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He went back to the kitchen, looking for some instant ramen cups. In the tops shelves, it was completely full with them. Naruto's eyes sparkled in delight. He grabbed two cups, boiled some water, sat on a chair and ate it hungrily. How good it was to eat his favourite food after so such a long time. The ramen was soon in its new home, Naruto's stomach. He leaned on his chair, patted his stomach and sighed in satisfaction. "That was a nice meal!"

Naruto looked around the room; Hinata was no where in sight. He jumped up from his seat. He turned his head to double check the room. Her sandwich was gone. She must've left the room without telling him.

"Hinata!" he called out. "Hinata!"

The door opened, showing a worried Mika. She stared at Naruto, breathing heavily. "What is it, Naruto-sama?"

"Huh, Naruto-sama?"

She nodded in a matter-of-fact way. "Why yes, you are the son of Kushina-sama, you are the rightful heir of this clan."

After getting it into his head, he told her. "Hinata left the room without telling me. I didn't even hear her leave!"

Mika could only smile. "She's with Kushina-sama. She told me that she would help her in every way she could to keep her alive. You should be very proud to have a wife like that."

"Sometimes she isn't," he complained to himself with his arms crossed in front of him. Mika giggled at his quiet comment.

"If you wish, I shall take you to Kushina-sama's room."

"Thanks."

She led him to Kushina's room. Mika opened the door to find Hinata checking on Kushina. She didn't notice them enter. Finally knowing what was wrong; she told Mika what she needed. "Do you grow any herbs around here?"

She nodded and took her away. Naruto was left in the room with his mother. He swore to himself not to get angry or he'll mentally bash himself up. He took a seat next to her and began. "So, you're my mother?"

"Yes," she said weakly. She raised her wrinkled hand to caress his cheek again. "I'll tell you everything, every single detail of the past that will answer so many questions."

* * *

End of chapter 5! Sorry about the late update. I had a assignment to complete and it still isn't finished. I will hand it on time though! I'll try to put the next chapter up tomorrow. Oh yeah, Happy Halloween everybody! Such a shame I'm not going trick-or-treating, never did it in my life. As always, please review.

* * *


	6. Uzumaki Kushina's Story

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, if I did; it would have Naruto and Hinata together as a couple. Kaizu, Mika and Kajou are mine though.

Last time:

"So, you're my mother?"

"Yes," she said weakly. She raised her hand to caress his cheek again. "I'll tell you everything, every single detail of the past that will answer so many questions."

Uzumaki Kushina's Story

* * *

"I was fourteen when I was told of the great history. The Uzumaki clan, Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan were the three strongest clans in Konoha. Though we have no bloodline limit, our determination made us strong. We were proud and happy with our families. I was married to a boy who I didn't love. I was still happy though. I was to be made Head after a year or so. A year later, a member of the clan failed a mission. He lacked determination and strength. Because of that, his team died. He came back with no severe injuries though. My clan was so ashamed that they ran away. I didn't follow them though. I stayed in Konoha; it was my one true home. So they ran away without me. I was left alone in the streets. The people who hated our clan because of our power started to beat me up. I was so alone until _he_ came."

-The Past-

The teenage girl cried while her bruises and cuts gave her great pain. Her sobs were loud and was clear to anyone who went past the dark alley she hid in. She thought of where her clan was, where they could be. Why didn't they stay in Konoha and forget about the past. Her sobs only grew louder as she thought of the clan that had abandoned her. It drew more attention to her; it drew the attention of a boy to her.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up and saw a blonde haired boy with clear blue eyes. He had a worried look on his face. She wiped the tears before replying.

"Who are you?" she asked, trying to sound hard and tough.

"Oh? You don't know me? Why, I'm the great Namikaze Minato! What about you?"

"Kushina." She said with no expression. "Kushina Uzumaki." She was expecting another bashing but received a warm smile in return.

"So you're one of the members of the Uzumaki clan. I think you should be given a second chance. Every one deserves a second chance."

Kushina thought for a while. She was happy that there was at least someone who didn't beat her to a pulp. She liked that. She got up from the dirty ground and put a cheeky grin on her face. "You're nice for a boy outside my clan."

He blinked. "Oh thanks." He scratched the back of his head when he heard a loud grumble.

"Say hello to my stomach," Kushina introduced. "Hehe, I'm kind of hungry."

"Then let's go get something to eat. What would you like?"

"Not sure. I don't really have a favourite food…"

"What about ramen?"

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"I know the best place to eat it. Their ramen is great!" He grabbed her hand and ran through the crowd. "This way!" The next thing she knew, she was sitting next to Minato who had almost finished his first bowl. She held her chopsticks, picking at her food until finally grabbing a piece of naruto. After chewing on it, she spat it out.

"That stuff is horrible!"

The cook looked offended and so did Minato. "Naruto _must_ be with ramen or the ramen won't be perfect," he said. The cook nodded with his arms crossed.

"Well I'm sorry for not liking naruto."

The cook was now raged, she grabbed the closet thing he could get, a frying pan and aimed it for her head.

"Uh, here's the money!" Minato said, interrupting the cook's actions. He then took Kushina's hand and ran off to some where safe from the cook. "Never again will you say something like that in front of Teuchi-san. I've seen him get angered at his customers for doing something close to that. Believe me, it's not a pretty sight."

"I don't care, dattebayo!"

There was a short pause before he spoke again. "You know, you aren't exactly the girl I met in the alleyway."

"That's your problem!" She said smirking at him playfully.

He laughed. "Why don't you tell me what it's like to be an Uzumaki? I hear they're great in water techniques."

"My life...not yours."

"Well you're not nice."

There was silence between them and Kushina didn't like it. She decided to break it. "I'm going off to see Hokage-sama. I want to talk to him for a while."

"Okay. See you around." They both turned to their own direction. Once a good few metres apart, a thought popped up in Minato's mind. "Oi, Kushina-san, where will you sleep tonight?"

"The streets. I'm kind of used to it now." She continued to walk off but was stopped. Her face was only centimetres away from his. "You're quick."

"Why thank you. Are you sure you want to sleep in the streets tonight? I mean, you can sleep at my place. It may be small but I could squeeze you in."

She thought about it for a while. Though she felt more secure with him, she didn't want to be seen weak. She was part of a strong clan…but then again, she was part of an ashamed clan too who had abandoned her. "I'll think about it."

She walked on to the Hokage Tower. She wished so badly that her clan was with her at that very moment. She wanted her father to teach her new techniques. She wanted her mother to talk with and her friends too. All of them had abandoned her. Wiping the tears that formed at the corner of her eyes, she ran the rest of the way to her destination.

"Come in."

Kushina entered with a sad face. There were cuts on her faces and a few bruises too. Her hair was in a tangled mess. The stones and twigs that the villagers threw had damaged her figure quite a bit.

"What's wrong Kushina-chan?"

"You have heard of what happened right?" She walked to a chair near the door and sat on it in a very tomboyish way.

"Yes, I have."

"Everyone in the village hates me now. They throw things at me and call my clan a wimp. I want to fight them but it's against Konoha…no, may way to fight my fellow villagers." Tears streamed down her cheeks. She clenched her hands into fists and began wiping them away. "It hurts so much to be abandoned and left alone. I want mother and father with me but they're some where I don't even know. I wanted to go with them but Konoha is where my true home is. I don't feel right without it!" Her crying turned to loud sobs. "I want to be a young child again, so I don't have to feel this pain."

She heard footsteps coming toward her. The next thing she knew, she was in the Hokage's arms in a warm comforting hug. "You have been very strong Kushina-chan. I know it's hard for you right now but look, you have me and Minato to cheer you up.

"How did you know about me and Minato?"

"A bird told me. Don't worry about that though, just let your tears out and say everything you want to say. I will be listening."

So Kushina talked her feelings out. She even screamed at the emotional pain she felt. The old man listened to every word she said and allowed her to drench his clothing with tears. She soon fell asleep where her pain dissolved into nothing.

"You may enter Minato."

The door opened with a quiet creak, showing a very disturbed Minato. He looked down to the ground with a frown. "I never knew how hard it was for Kushina-san."

"Hm, life can be very hard for some people. You offered your apartment to her. Why not put it to good use?" Minato nodded and carried her away on his back.

-Back to Present-

"Years later your father proposed to me. I declined because I was already married to that other boy. Uchiha I think. I can't remember though. I hated him so I wish for him to stay away from me. I told him that we could maintain a relationship as if we were married but we couldn't officially be a couple."

"It's a good thing that Yondaime is my biological father and not that Uchiha person."

"Why?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Long story."

"I'll continue then. He got me pregnant another year or two later. We were both very happy and we became very excited when the day came. But we were both scared for not only our lives but your life too as Kyubi had attacked the village. Kyubi attacked while I was still giving birth to you. Many Konoha Shinobi came to your father for advice and assistance. He said he would go to fight Kyubi soon after you were born. Minutes after the birth, Kyubi was getting close to where we were. Minato left to fight it."

She paused for a while before going on.

"His last words were 'I love you and our son'. I named you after what Minato called the perfect piece as he could never have ramen without naruto so that's what I called you. Shortly after, the building I was in was about to cave in. I was knocked out by a large stone. Lucky for me, my clan came to rescue me. They heard that Kyubi had attacked and came to my aid as quickly as possible. As for you, Minato ordered a member of my clan to take you to him. He knew what could happen to you but he had no other choice. Well, that's what Kajou told me. I was forced to stay here in the Land of the Whirlpool as I was Head of the clan and I had every right to rule the new found land. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. If only I could turn back time and change it all."

"Apology accepted."

"You're not upset?"

"If that was meant to happen, then that was meant to happen and by the way, you are my mother."

Kushina smiled as Hinata entered the room again with crushed herbs in the form of liquid. "I'm back," she said. "This shall improve your health. Drink this and try to get some sleep. By tomorrow you should feel a lot better!"

* * *

Chapter finished! Sorry I didn't put this up on the first of November. I needed to double check my work. That's done however and I'm now a candidate for class Prime Minister (as I'm Australian). So I published this to sort of celebrate…somewhat. Oh yeah, Kushina's story is not real at all. It was made up! Had to do that. Please review!

* * *


	7. Introductions

* * *

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

Last time:

"I was forced to stay here in the Land of the Whirlpool as I was Head of the clan and I had every right to rule the new found land. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. If only I could turn back time and change it all."

"Apology accepted."

---

"I'm back," she said. "This shall improve your health. Drink this and try to get some sleep. By tomorrow you should feel a lot younger!"

Introductions

* * *

Green chakra bubbled around Hinata's hands. With the medicine in effect, it was easy to get rid of some of the disease. She was right, the next morning Kushina felt much healthier.

"She is ill and even though I've gotten rid some of the disease, it won't be enough. She has less than a year to live with what I'm giving her now."

"A year to live huh? At least it's longer than six months."

"We might as well enjoy being together for the first and last time then Naruto," his mother interrupted. "Help me stand up please."

Kushina sat on her bed and held out her arm to her son. With the help of Naruto, she got up. "Thank you."

Just as she settled on her feet the door slammed open. "Kushina!"

A man, a few years younger than Kushina had burst through the doors. The fright caused Kushina's fall. She fell into Naruto's arm as if doing a trust exercise. "Mum," he said.

"Mum? Who do you think you are!" the man roared.

"Well she is my mother," Naruto fought back.

"Since when?"

"Kajou, stop being stupid, he is my son. He is Naruto!"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Man, what a mean uncle," he mumbled to himself.

The man completely ignored Naruto and went on with his concern. "I heard that someone made you healthier. Is it true?"

"Yes but I have a year to live. Hinata here did it." She pointed at Hinata who blushed a bit. "She's Hyuga Hinata and is married to Naruto."

"Hyuga? How long has it been since anyone from our clan has married a Hyuga? My, you may be the key to make our clan strong again!"

Kushina sighed. "Introduction, Naruto, Kajou. Kajou, Naruto. Hinata, Kajou. Kajou, Hinata. Done, do you still have more work to do in the office?"

"Working on them once I get back," he answered.

"And when is that?"

"Now."

The room was silent without Kajou. Again, Kushina didn't like the silence and decided to break it. "Kajou is a bit protective of me ever since the clan had abandoned me. It was also because many of our members died on the way here. Mainly because this was an unknown land and we didn't know what went on here. When Kyubi attacked, the land was safe to live on and so they took me here. I was unfamiliar with it so I couldn't escape from it. Eventually, as I was leader of the land, I decided to copy the form of Konoha in reminder of it. It made me feel a whole lot better."

"So that was why this place looked like Konoha. I wish it really was Konoha," Hinata said quietly.

"Yes, the shinobi world is very cruel but we enter it to protect the ones we love. I think I might as well show you around the Land of the Whirlpool." She led the two Konoha shinobi outside. She held onto Naruto's arm for support. She sent for a small, inconspicuous carriage for them to sit in.

As they left the Uzumaki grounds, Naruto thought up a question. "Where did the other villagers come from?"

"They were people who ran away. Most of them can use water techniques as they have used before. Those villagers has an advantage as we try to teach everyone a few water techniques to help them defend themselves and also the Bubble Conveyor as you should've have noticed. We aren't ninja though. We just use techniques to help defend ourselves."

Their carriage moved along through the crowd of happy people. The carriage stopped a few times. Young girls came up to pat the clean horse that pulled them. It neighed happily at the gentle pats. Once the children had enough they continued.

"You have built a very friendly village," Hinata said, wishing that she was apart of the Land of the Whirlpool.

"Yes, because in Konoha, sometimes the people can be very mean. I hate those people who beat others just because of something they're not. I wanted a more friendly land so I taught everyone kindness. Now everyone can enjoy life."

The couple looked outside at the scenery. It made Naruto feel as if he was already home. Hinata had a sudden urge to see Sakura again. If she was lucky, she may even see her and learn from her. Hinata also wanted to talk to her again, all her troubles and everything. Though Naruto was someone you could always count on, there was nothing better than to talk to your close friend.

"I miss Konoha a lot. We are allies with Konoha though. You wouldn't know of this land because it is so small but I don't mind. At least it doesn't attract any attention to us. If we stay like this, the Land of the Whirlpool will certainly last for a very long time," Kushina explained.

"Tell me about the clan and my family." Hinata said.

Kushina smiled. "Kajou is my younger brother. I cared for him a great bit when we were back in Konoha. As you already know, he is protective of me after I was left behind. He says that I am the best sibling he ever had. He sometimes sees me as mum because both of our parents died when they were looking for a place to live. So many others did too so the clan shrank. His daughter, Mika is the one who helps take care of me. Kajou's wife gave birth to her before she died. Mika has a bit of a hard time when it comes to parents but she always wears a smile. She shows great strength and courage."

She stopped to take a deep breath. "The rest of the clan is doing well. We're all happy here." She stared out the window, her eyes searching for something. "Do you like ramen by any chance, Naruto?"

"I don't like it…I love it! It's the best thing in the world!" Hinata gave him a deathly stare. He felt the air around him grow cold and icy. "I mean, is that Hinata and family is the best thing in the worl. Ramen is second." Hinata tossed her head back in satisfaction.

Kushina gave out a slight chuckle. "Just like your father."

"Tell me about him," he asked.

She gave a slight nod of her head before talking. "The one thing that I remember most about him is that naruto is the piece that is needed for ramen in order to make it perfect. He was also interested in jutsu, especially making them. There was one jutsu that he always boasted about, it was the Rasengan. Though incomplete, it was probably his best. Minato was kind and caring but can be a bit loud. I suppose you're pretty stubborn. Am I right Naruto?"

"He won't give up on any fight, not until he wins or he is knocked unconscious," Hinata explained.

"Ah yes, you got that from the both of us. Minato and I never gave up in a fight, not until we won or we were knocked unconscious. Your father wanted to become a great ninja and that he did. A hero he is."

There was a moment of silence as the three of them remembered him, the Hokage who gave his life to save Konoha, the person who sealed Kyubi into Naruto.

The end of the tour quickly came when the large gates were in view. They were opened with a loud creak as the carriage entered. The doors of the carriage was pulled opened and they were led out by Mika. She had a smile on her face but Naruto could easily tell it wasn't genuine.

"Naruto, I'll need to give you the position of Head soon before I move on," Kushina said with her back to him.

"But Hinata is already Head of the Hyuga and I plan on becoming Hokage."

"If you're in a position like that, either keep your position as Head of the Hyuga clan, become Head of the Uzumaki clan or join together and make one strong clan."

"Okay, I'll talk about it with Hinata later." Kushina followed Mika to her bedroom while Naruto and Hinata walked to their's.

He had a choice, Konoha or the Land of the Whirlpool.

* * *

Chapter seven is completed. From now on, I'll try my very best to remember to update! Christmas is near and I'll be gone around that time. I don't want you guys (and girls) to wait another week for an update. Plus, I am anxious to begin writing the new series! Note to self: Take book on trip. That's my special book where I can put my ideas down. So yeah. Please review because if I don't get enough reviews, I will be discouraged from updating, thus, the lateness of the update! Review and please come again.

* * *


	8. Celebrate a Birth, Grieve a Death

* * *

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine. It rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Last time:

"But Hinata is already Head of the Hyuga and I plan on becoming Hokage."

"If you're in a position like that, either keep your position as Head of the Hyuga clan, become Head of the Uzumaki clan or join together and make one strong clan."

He had a choice, Konoha or the Land of the Whirlpool.

Celebrate a Birth, Grieve a Death

* * *

Her birthday had yet come again, twenty-three she turned and only more beautiful. She felt that this birthday would be one of the most special birthdays she had ever had. Instead of going through a ceremony that is traditionally done every, she was able to be free and enjoy herself. She wore a simple grey kimono that she was given to use during her stay. It fit her perfectly.

As for Naruto, he wore something a commoner would wear. They were going out into town and they didn't want to be the centre of attention. With a wave of good bye, they left the Uzumaki residence and began to walk around the small town.

They felt at home. The whole town smiled. A small boy came up to them and stared up at Naruto's forehead. His smile grew into a grin.

"That's a forehead protector, right mister?" he asked excitedly,

Naruto grinned back. "Yep!"

"Cool! I want to become a ninja!"

His father laughed. "You will," he said. And they left.

The Land of the Whirlpool was so calm. It was in peace and there was no-one who would come and destroy it. He would protect like it was Konoha if that did ever happen.

The town was getting ready for the New Year celebrations. A few of the shops were closed down to help out. A ramen stand was spotted in the corner of Naruto's eye who immediately ran to it. He wanted fresh ramen, not cup.

"One miso pork ramen please!" he ordered. He sat on a chair and gestured Hinata to follow. "I know you don't like ramen but I haven't had fresh ramen for ages!"

She only giggled. "I do like it a bit."

"Make that two please!" he called out. He then turned to his wife. "What do you want to do in the village?"

"I want to see how much the same the village and Konoha are. I also want to have a nice warm bath. It takes off some pressure."

"Here you go."

They were handed two large bowls of steaming ramen. To Naruto, it smelt like heaven. It didn't smell like it to Hinata though. It made her feel a bit sick. She pushed the bowl of hot ramen away from her with her free hand covering her mouth.

"You can have that Naruto," she said.

It was unusual for Hinata to step away from ramen. Whenever she was given a bowl of ramen, she would eat it. No she didn't hate it but it never satisfied her. He looked at her with worried eyes. "Are you okay?"

She nodded before taking a deep breath. "Naruto, I'll walk around for a while. I'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes."

Naruto quickly stuffed his mouth with the two bowls of ramen. He paid for it and stood up.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I'm staying with you," he tried to say which actually came out like this, "I saying wif oo."

Hinata could only giggle at him. His cheeks were puffed out with remaining ramen. She could see he was trying his best to keep it in his mouth. After a couple of moments, he swallowed it down and said an 'ah' or relief.

"Any longer and my mouth would be in pieces," he said. He held out a bent arm, motioning her to grab on and continue their walk. She did so with pleasure and held his arm while she rested her head on his shoulder. "Let's look for some private place like the hidden spot in the Hokage monument. I'd like to see the whole town from above.

"That'd be nice. I do love that spot." Her mind was filled with the moment of when she fell. Tsunade screamed at her to use chakra but she didn't care. She missed Naruto too much to think of herself. Luckily Neji had caught her in time but received angered words from him in return. She shook her head slightly to get rid of those thoughts.

Naruto had noticed Hinata was slightly troubled by a memory. He wasn't sure what memory would be troubling. He only walked on to the village's version of the Hokage monument. Sure enough, they had found a path that led them upwards. They took the trail. They were close to the top when they heard quiet sobbing. It didn't sound familiar but curious, they went on. Mika sat in front of a small cross with a lily in her hand. She was the crying girl.

"Mika-chan?"

She jumped slightly in fright. No-one was supposed to find her. She wiped the tears away and looked at her cousin with a smile. "What are you doing here?" she asked politely.

"Well, we thought that because this is a mini version of Konoha, there would be a track that leads to the top of the Hokage monument. It's our secret place," Naruto explained.

"And why are you here?" asked Hinata. She let go of Naruto's arm and slowly walked to her. "Is that someone special?"

Mika nodded her head. "My mum died here after I was born. I'm not exactly sure how she died since no-one will tell me. People say she accidentally walked off the cliff which isn't likely and others say she died by giving birth to me. Even father won't tell me so I think it might be pretty gruesome." Fresh tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. "I wish she didn't die. I want to talk to her."

Naruto looked at the scenery. It was beautiful. Somewhere on the outskirts of the village was a small waterfall. Inside the village had so many people who laughed and smile and oh, it was such a nice view. To know that you're safe and you're happy, it made Naruto feel a bit envious.

"At least she has a great view," he said.

"Yes, she does but wouldn't it be better if she saw it now and interact with it." She stopped to let the tears out. "She would be so happy."

"But she is…already. She's proud of you and what you have achieved. You're part of the Uzumaki clan, a strong clan that has managed to build its own land. I bet the Uchiha clan wouldn't be as successful," he added.

"I guess you're right," Mika said. She stood up and wiped the tears with the sleeve of her kimono. She turned to face Hinata. "Thank you for helping me and Hinata-sama," she took out a blue ribbon. "Happy birthday." She paused for a moment as she handed it to Hinata.

"Thank you Mika-chan."

Mika smiled, this time, a genuine smile. "I thank you both and as it is your birthday Hinata-sama, I'll give you some private time. See you back at the mansion." And she was gone.

Naruto sat down in his spot. Hinata tied her hair up with the blue ribbon and kneeled down next to him. She leaned on his shoulder. It was so comforting. She looked up at him. He had a disturbing frown on his face, one that she didn't like.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm sort of…" he began.

"Sort of what?"

"Scared…about my mother. I've only just met her and we have a year to be with each other. What if it's less than that and she dies when I'm not ready for it? It scares me to think one moment she's alive and the next she's…" he could continue as tears welled in his eyes.

"Naruto, don't think about that now. I'm not stopping you from visiting her everyday, every hour. Enjoy being with her and don't hesitate. I am here for you as well. We support each other and I'm not going to change that."

She wiped the tears away from his eyes. She felt hurt inside; it was quite rare for Naruto to cry. "Please stop crying," she said. "You're hurting me as well."

With his eyes dried, he bent down and planted a soft kiss on her silky hair. "I have."

She smiled with joy. She jumped onto him and giggled with pleasure. "I love you so much!"

He could see it. They both wanted to be young children when they didn't go through so much. He could see Hinata's childish ways popping up but with tears in her eyes. It was as if she was scared about his mother too. He knew she didn't want Kushina to die either. All he could do was wrap his arms around her.

"Thank you," he said.

She buried her face into his chest, hiding forming tears. 'We will go through this together Naruto.' She reminded herself of that saying that Sakura had told her. 'Every cloud has a silver lining…you must go through the bad in order to get the good.'

* * *

I'm sooo sorry I didn't update this earlier and I'm sorry for the OOCness from Hinata. It's something that I do every now and then and I needed to put that in. I didn't know how to end this chapter as well! I had writer's block and I wanted to change most of the chapter because the older version was bad. I've rewritten this two or three times. There was also school work to deal with, money to get in…ahhh! There is so much. The next chapter I'll try my very best to put up by the end of next week.  
**Note:** This chapter had been reposted due to a mistake some people have pointed out. Thank you for telling me!

Thank you so much everyone! And don't forget to review!

* * *


	9. Family

* * *

Disclaimer: The story Naruto and its characters are not mine. Kajou, Kaizu, Mika and Sora from the first story are mine.

Last time:

"But Hinata is already Head of the Hyuga and I plan on becoming Hokage."

"If you're in a position like that, either keep your position as Head of the Hyuga clan, become Head of the Uzumaki clan or join together and make one strong clan."

He had a choice, Konoha or the Land of the Whirlpool.

---

"I'm sort of scared about my mother."

She buried her face into his chest, hiding forming tears. 'We will go through this together Naruto.' She reminded herself of that saying that Sakura had told her. 'Every cloud has a silver lining…you must go through the bad in order to get the good.'

Family

* * *

She looked up at the ceiling. She now had more problems than before and it was putting stress on her. Would she give up her position as Head of the Hyuga clan and become Head of the Uzumaki clan? She would be free but what would her family think of it? Would they be disappointed? She certainly didn't want to make a really strong clan. It would be too much for the both of them and fights may be the results as well. So far, she was looking at becoming Head of the Uzumaki clan.

She turned to face Naruto. He slept so peacefully. She envied him but she knew he to had problems of his own. She gently ran her hand over the whisker marks on his face. "Kyubi."

Gently shaking him, he woke up with an annoyed groan. "What is it Hinata?"

"I'll resign from my position as Head of the Hyuga clan. I want to help the Uzumaki clan," she said in a whisper. "The Hyuga clan is fine without me."

He gave out a loud yawn. "You sure?"

"I did say I wanted to be Uzumaki Hinata." She poked her tongue out in cheekiness. "Do you know what that means?"

She gasped in surprise as she was pulled into a tight hug. "Thank you Hinata." For the rest of the night, they slept in that position. She didn't ever want to move.

* * *

-Two months later-

"Naruto, I give you this to symbolise your position as Head." Kushina handed him a sword. Its cover was stained with dirt and blood. It was obvious that it had been through many fights, through many generations. "Hinata, I give you this to symbolise your position as the Head's wife." She was given a brooch of a red spiral. "You are now, rightfully our new leaders of this clan." There were many claps and cheers. Most of the people came to see the ceremony. Though they hardly knew who Naruto was, they did know he was Kushina's son and would be a great leader.

Once the ceremony was over Kushina spoke to them about their new items.

"Hinata, that brooch of yours will protect if you put chakra into it. It creates a strong barrier and can stop sound from escaping the barrier. I would describe it as the Uzumaki version of Kaiten. As for the sword, it isn't ordinary. Depending on how strong you are determines the strength of the sword. If you were weak, that sword could easily break. It can also lengthen; again the length is determined on how strong you are. Mika will teach you how to use it starting from tomorrow." Kushina left with quiet footsteps. "See you tomorrow."

Naruto turned to Hinata. "What should we do now? Our job is to find the heir, stay with the clan until the heir is moved up to position of Head. Once that is done, we need to go back to Konoha. I just don't want to. I want to stay here with my mum and enjoy the last few minutes with her."

"Tell Tsunade-sama. You do have Gamakichi to deliver a message," Hinata said.

"I'll try." He left for their room. Once inside, he grabbed a pen and paper and began writing.

_Tsunade-sama, we have completed our mission. The heir is found which happen to be me. I've been made Head but the previous Head, my mother will die within the next seven months or so. I would like to stay here until she passes away._

_Thank you Tsunade-sama._

_-Naruto_

Satisfied he called for Gamakichi to deliver the message. Gamakichi did so as it was important. Now they just had to wait. Hinata entered the room twiddling with her index fingers, wondering whether to tell the truth or not. Naruto had noticed this but had ignored it in Hinata's eyes. He sat on the bed waiting for her to speak.

"N-Naruto, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" he asked, trying his best to sound convincing.

"I…uh, I'm…"

"It's about our child, right?"

"H-how did you know?" She felt somewhat calm yet nervous as well. It didn't seem Naruto was happy with the news.

A large grin grew on his face. "We're going to have a family!"

Hinata was quite shocked. It was like he was having the mood swings, not her. "You aren't upset or anything?"

He jumped from the bed. "Hinata, this is the second best thing that ever happened to me!"

"What's first?"

"Meeting you." He tightly wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. "We're going to have a family!"

* * *

"Yo, Tsunade-sama, message from Naruto." Gamakichi appeared in a poof of smoke in front of her desk. He saw the surprise in Tsunade's eyes. He handed her the note and waited.

"Thank you." Tsunade opened the note, excited to read what was inside. She read it and smiled. "I thought this would work." Placing the note aside, she took a fresh piece of paper and a pen to write her reply. She pushed it to the edge of her desk, motioning Gamakichi to take it and deliver it to Naruto. "Thanks for your help."

Once the frog was gone, she took a deep breath, ready to summon Shizune in a loud shout which shook the entire building. "Shizune, come here now!" The Hokage's assistant was probably in a room on the other side of the tower. She soon heard feet running to her office. The door burst open, revealing a panting Shizune.

"What is it Tsunade-sama?"

"Naruto is returning from his mission within the next year or so. He was made Head of the Uzumaki clan."

"What? That long for a simple mission?" she asked, utterly shocked.

"Yes because Naruto had found his mother who is unfortunately dying. He asked for permission to stay until the death of his mother and I give him permission," she explained.

"But that's like a holiday!" Shizune protested.

"A holiday where he will see his mother for the first and last time," Tsunade said, her voice louder than usual. "Naruto had never experienced the love from a parent. I say he should be allowed to enjoy the last minutes of that pleasure."

"Yes Hokage-sama." A thought struck her. "Why don't you go there to heal the previous Head so she is healthy enough to come back to Konoha? And what about the Hyuga clan?"

"I think Kushina-san would like it to see her unofficial husband again. It's probably for the best. As for the Hyuga clan, I'll see what Hinata will do to fix that problem." She got up from her seat and looked out the window. "Enjoy it Naruto," she whispered.

* * *

The first day of training passed. Naruto looked tired, though he still said, "I need to train more to become stronger."

Hinata had a note in her hand, it was from Tsunade. She placed the note on the table next to her and quickly went to Naruto's aid. "I don't think that's possible to do it today," she said with a small giggle, happy Naruto was back with her. Helping him, she led him to the bed before he collapsed onto it.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Boring, nothing much to do but sit around, make more medicine for our mother and talking to the other members of the clan. Yours?"

"Training was fun. Mika is strong, probably Jounin level. There was also being with my own mother! We caught up so much it feels as if I knew her since the day I was born!"

Hinata smiled. She looked at him as a kid kicking his legs, happy to talk about his mother. He was happy to say that he finally had a mother to take care of him.

"I'm tired because of all that chakra that I used for training! Who knew a sword could use so much chakra!"

"Who knew you can act so much like a kid?" she said playfully.

"Hey, what's that piece of paper over there?" Naruto asked pointing to a piece of folded paper.

"Oh, that's from Tsunade-sama." She brought the note to him and read it out loud. "_Naruto, you have my permission to stay in the Land of the Whirlpool for as long until the death of your mother. The note you had sent me made me think for a while. You hardly call me Tsunade-sama. Everyone is waiting for you and Neji says to keep Hinata safe or you'll die. Have a safe trip!_"

There was silence as Naruto allowed the information sink into his mind. Once it did, he cried out for joy. "We're staying! We're staying!"

* * *

Chapter 9 is completed! Sorry I didn't put this up earlier. I was very busy but it should be an easy road now. My assignment is finished so yeah. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I didn't. Love you all (as a reader). Please review!

* * *


	10. A Dreamy Threat

* * *

Disclaimer: Kishimoto-san is the rightful owner of Naruto, not me.

Last time:

"It's about our child, right?"

"H-how did you know?" She felt calm yet nervous as well. It didn't seem that Naruto was happy with the news.

A large grin grew on his face. "We're going to have a family!"

---

There was silence as Naruto allowed the information sink into his mind. Once it did, he cried out for joy. "We're staying! We're staying!"

A Dreamy Threat

* * *

She felt lonely, quite lonely in fact. Naruto spent more and more time with his mother, leaving her and the unborn child alone. She knew it was the best for him but was it so hard to give up a couple of minutes for an expecting mother?

She usually spent her morning making the most medicine she can. In the afternoon she would learn more about the clan. While Naruto was with his mother, she would talk to Mika. They mainly talked about the possibilities of Mika's mother's death.

It was the night time she enjoyed, when Naruto was back with her. It wasn't very late but he would still collapse onto their bed and sleep until training time.

Hinata was in her third month and she was starting to show. It was also when she saw what made Naruto so tired. Indeed the sword used a lot of chakra. The power of the sword was great. He was definitely on his way to become Hokage.

It was on the day Naruto was dismissed from his training when Hinata had learned the truth. Naruto was upset but very happy. He finally had time to spend with Hinata.

So, there they were, talking to each other. They're talk was mainly based around family. The question of why Mika wasn't training him was bothering her, until she asked it.

"Why isn't Mika-chan training you?"

His eyes, usually sky blue and filled with happiness, were suddenly filled with sorrow. "She found out what happened to her mother last night."

"What happened?"

"She told me that a clan had kidnapped her mother and raped her. It was done to expand the clan. It was unsuccessful so the clan tortured her till death. That was shortly after Mika was born."

Hinata was scared. Though Naruto was there with her, she was still frightened. Rape was one thing she had never hoped to hear again. Sasuke, the man she wished to never meet again. The memories still haunted her.

"Don't worry Hinata. I won't let anyone rape you again. I did promise that no sick bastard would dare lay a finger on you."

She felt safer as she fell into his arms. It was a feeling she couldn't get anywhere else.

* * *

Kajou, Naruto's uncle was still in control of the Land of the Whirlpool. Naruto still had training to do and Hinata couldn't as well. He was sick of the paperwork he had to do but he would complete it all…some day. Every day he thought about his dead wife and how he couldn't save her. However, it was what made him get through his day. His wife loved the uninhabited land the second she set foot on it. He went through the trouble of paper work to make sure that his wife would smile at what he had accomplished.

Kushina was getting better every day. She visited her brother once she was healthy enough to walk.

She entered the room but Kajou didn't seem to care. He just scribbled stuff on pieces of paper. She stayed silent as she grinned to herself. He would blow soon…

"That's annoying and you know that!"

Her grin grew bigger. "I love doing that to you. You just can't stand a silent room when someone is inside it with you. You're even worse than me."

"What is it?" he asked as he grumbled beneath his breath.

"I think we need to start producing ninja. Our land is weak but we aren't. The Uchiha clan may want to get rid of us or a certain other clan may want to take more ladies of our kind or maybe even Hinata. It may happen now and it can happen later. Creating a ninja academy would help us deeply in the long run. We are lucky to have Naruto with us."

"A ninja academy huh? I remember those days, when we were Konoha shinobi. Every mission was exciting except for those lower ranking ones."

Kushina smiled. "Yes, those days were probably one of the best. I've been hearing that younger children are suddenly having dreams of becoming ninja. Do you agree?"

"If Naruto can help that would be great. Where will it be held though?"

"It wouldn't hurt if it was held on the outskirts of the town. Would it?"

"I guess not."  
"Then it is settled. It will begin in two months."

With that, she left the office and went back to her room, happy to feel like the boss again.

* * *

_She hugged his arm tightly. She didn't know why but she felt she was being followed. Being a full fledged ninja, she shouldn't have been scared. What was it that scared her so much?_

_A hand, shadowed by the dark grabbed her arm. She held tightly to Naruto's arm but it just dissolved into mid air. She was pulled away easily and no mater how many times she shouted to Naruto, he wouldn't respond. _

_She was pulled into a dark room. The man held out something round, like a head. It was one. It looked liked Mika but it wasn't. It was her mother. She whimpered helplessly as the man laughed evilly._

"_Do whatever I say and you won't end up like her."_

"_What are you going to do to me?" Tears were visible in her eyes._

"_You shall bear my child. Our clan is small and it needs to grow. It needs to destroy the Uzumaki clan."_

"_B-but, I'm already bearing one."_

"_No you aren't."_

_She looked down at her stomach. She couldn't feel another living presence inside her. She activated her Byakugan, nothing. It was like the baby had disappeared._

"_P-please," she begged. "Please don't do this to me." Her tears were streaming down her face. Her body went completely numb. He was undressing her. "Please." She felt so helpless._

---

"Naruto!"

He shook her mildly. He saw the tears, the dream she had wasn't a good one. "Hinata, wake up. It's only a dream."

Her eyes suddenly snapped open. They were filled with fear. "Naruto, don't leave me alone," she whispered. "Someone is after me."

* * *

Cliff hanger! Yay! I'm so proud of myself. I quite enjoyed writing this. The last chapter I had writer's block so I wrote anything I could write so that would explain why I didn't enjoy that chapter. Please review!

* * *


	11. Training's End, Schooling's Start

* * *

Disclaimer: Every one knows that I'm not the owner of Naruto. I have bad plots anyway.

Last time:

"Hinata, wake up. It's only a dream."

Her eyes suddenly snapped open. They were filled with fear. "Naruto, don't leave me alone," she whispered. "Someone is after me."

Training's End, Schooling's Start

* * *

"What? Who is after you?"

"I-I don't know." She then told him every detail of the dream. He only growled in anger. Why is this person so interested in her? Was it because she had the Byakugan? Was it because she was a shy goddess? Whatever the reason, it only made him madder.

"Hinata, remember, I won't allow _any _sick bastard touch you in any way."

Kajou was outside, listening to every word. It was probably that stupid clan, wanting more. 'Not again.'

* * *

She watched him training after a couple more days, when Mika finally settled down. She enjoyed watching Naruto do one of the most favourite things to do. While watching, she did small exercises to keep her chakra sharp but because of the baby, big exercises, which she normally did, were unlikely.

Hinata joined into conversations upon Naruto and Kushina. The conversations were interesting. One conversation had informed them of a large event happening soon, the opening of the first ninja academy.

"But why open one? The place is safe as it is," Naruto protested.

"We've been told that the Uchiha clan has developed hatred to us because of the unsuccessful marriage. I think they may plan something to make us suffer. There are also clan outside the Land of the Whirlpool who wants our clan to disappear from the earth, meaning you two are in danger."

"I don't understand, why are so many clans after this clan? We had no bloodline limit."

"The Uzumaki clan were high ranking in Konoha. Many of our missions consisted of assassinating many ninja from other countries who may be a threat. Because mainly the Uzumaki clan had attacked them, they now want to take their revenge. Understand Naruto?"

He nodded his head.

"With ninja in the near future, we can protect ourselves from the enemy."

"Protect yourselves?!"

"No, not just the Uzumaki clan but all of the Land of the Whirlpool. The enemy may attack towards our hearts. My heart belongs to the clan and our land. See it now?"

He pulled back, understand what his mother meant by 'ourselves'.

"You are assigned to teach a small class an since Hinata won't leave your side, I guess she will help out too." She smiled at Hinata who smiled back though she was a bit tired. "Hinata is not to be worn out. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes mother."

"It will be opened in less than two months time. Mika will teach you the rest of what you need to learn in that period."

Naruto stood up, followed by Hinata. "Well then, if that's so, I guess Hinata will be teaching me how to teach younger children. She has a basic idea about it. See ya!"

* * *

"Hinata! You were a sensei once, you have to help me!"

"Teaching a class is easy."

"How do I start off? I've never done such a thing before!" he complained.

"Well, you start off by introducing yourself and explaining what ninja is."

Naruto was surprisingly writing this down. It felt kind of stupid as this was what Bushy Brows usually did when he learned something new. It was for a good reason though!

"I'd say you start teaching them basic things, you know, throwing kunai and shuriken, taijutsu. Once they learn that, you start to teach them ninjutsu. You can teach chakra control as well for basic ninjutsu. Such as the Bunshin technique, you need pretty good chakra control for that. With me it should be…" she let out a small yawn before continuing. "Easy. Hey, I need a rest, stay with me?"

Naruto of course, agreed. They hopped into bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

With the ninja academy coming up soon, Naruto had to learn how to be a good teacher by Hinata. It wasn't his sort of thing. He did admit this!

"Man, I had all sorts of training but this has got to be the worst." He was that bad at learning to teach. Hinata enjoyed teaching him though. They laughed together while he learned. It was done during the evening time when there was no training at all. In fact, training sessions had become a bit longer, not that Naruto minded at all.

Though they had their fun, Hinata was still troubled. She could sense something would happen but she couldn't tell what. She never had that dream again but the feeling that something would happen to her remained. She tried her very best not to show her fear and move on.

It was the day before the opening, Naruto's training had been completed and Hinata was looking through their class. Around fifteen students had been placed into their class.

"Hinata, I don't think I'll be very good at this…"

"Don't worry; just think of it as teaching your own children. Just don't be too kind." She gave him a reassuring smile who smiled nervously back.

"Yeah, children."

Though excited, he had to admit, becoming a father did make him slightly nervous. What if the child rejected him as a father? That question was the one that popped up in his mind most of the time.

"Tomorrow we'll see our class. It has been quite a while since I taught a class. You remember what you need to do, right?" she asked.

"Of course! You are with me so I shouldn't worry."

* * *

They entered the class. The students sat in their own seat. They waited quietly for their teachers to speak. Hinata began first.

"Good morning. My name is Hinata. He is Naruto."

"Good morning Hinata-sensei, Naruto-sensei," the students chorused.

Hinata smiled. "Let's introduce ourselves before we begin." She pointed at the student who sat in the farthest corner. "What's your name?"

"My name is Kurogashi!" he said excitedly. He wore a simple green t-shirt and brown shorts.

They went through every student until the last one. "I'm Tsuki." She wore a white tank top (which was the colour of her hair) with a loose black shirt on top and black pants.

Hinata smiled when they went through every student. She leaned over to Naruto and whispered, "It's going to be fun. You'll love the ninjutsu area."

* * *

Chapter 11 is done. I think this chapter was written quite poorly. It isn't as good as the other chapters. Sorry about this but I'm going through writer's block right now and I write whatever comes into my mind and sorry about the lateness.

SPOILER

I read the latest manga chapter and Kushina is so pretty! And Naruto, he was named after Jiraiya's book. And…Jiraiya himself…I think he's kind of dead TT.

END OF SPOILER

Had to do that sorry. Please review!

* * *


	12. Back Again

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Last time:

"What's your name?"

"My name is Kurogashi!" he said excitedly. He wore a simple green t-shirt and brown shorts.

They went through every student until the last one. "I'm Tsuki." She wore a white tank top (which was the colour of her hair) with a loose black shirt on top and black pants.

Hinata smiled when they went through every student. She leaned over to Naruto and whispered, "It's going to be fun. You'll love the ninjutsu area."

Back Again

* * *

Over the next few days, the students began learning weapon handling. Naruto, being certain of himself, took over and being a Jounin, hit the target spot on. Every child was amazed by his accuracy. "Practise make perfect."

The students tried themselves. The two outstanding students were Kurogashi and Tsuki. Kurogashi failed to hit the target but tried his very best. He seemed to enjoy it though his effort wasn't good enough. Tsuki however was the closet to hit the target. Hinata saw through her. She was a serious little girl and somewhat depressed but when around friends and the good side of life, she's actually a happy girl, laughing and smiling all the time.

_"I come from the Snow Country,"_ she said to Hinata a couple of days ago. _"My parents died during a civil war so my Aunt decided to take me away. I survived the war but I'm still recovering from depression I had developed."_

"Okay, that's it for today!" Naruto announced.

"See you tomorrow Naruto-sensei, Hinata-sensei!" called out a student. Every student left the classroom but Kurogashi stayed behind. Naruto had noticed Hinata was tired as well. "Hinata, go back home. I want to talk to Kurogashi." Hinata nodded in agreement and left.

Kurogashi stared out the window. His eyes were filled with disappointment and Naruto had noticed that too. "What's the matter Kurogashi?"

He didn't reply.

"Earth to Kurogashi…"

"Why? Why am I so bad at throwing kunai and shuriken? Why Naruto-sensei?"

"Well, when I first started in the academy, believe me, those days were horrible! I had to go with students at a younger age."

"What do you mean?"

"I was kidnapped you see, when I was young. If it wasn't for Hinata-sensei and friend named Tenten, I wouldn't be here. Anyway, though I was older, I was the failure."

"B-but look at you! You have perfect accuracy and speed!"

"After a lot of practise but don't push yourself. It's not good for your body. So keep on practising. I know you will have the accuracy I have 'cause you're just like me." With that, Naruto walked away. Kurogashi smiled.

"Arigatou Naruto-sensei!"

* * *

He entered their room, only to find Hinata sleeping like a baby. Another thing he had noticed was that Hinata had been calmer lately. The nightmare she had was starting to fade away. He grinned while walking towards her and planting a soft kiss on her cheek. Hinata's eyes slowly opened.

"Hey Hinata, you look as beautiful as ever."

She smiled. "Thank you. By the way Naruto," she sat up. "Who do you think is after me? There are a few possibilities."

"Yeah like that stupid Sasuke," he spat out angrily.

"There's also that clan that took Mika's mother away. Naruto, do you think that Sasuke and that Orochimaru person will announce a war on Konoha because of me? What if they do?"

"Don't worry. I am here to protect you." He ran his hand through her soft silky hair. "I'm going to have a late lunch. Want to come?"

"Okay." She stood up and followed Naruto outside their room.

Meanwhile, as they left, a man placed his binoculars away and smirked. "This Hyuga should be easy to catch as long as she's pregnant." He jumped away to tell his master the report.

* * *

"Kajou, since when do we take revenge?"

"But Kushina, please, they not only raped my wife but killed her as well! If it's the clan that's planning to attack then please, let me take out my anger. I won't be in peace until I do that."

"But then what about Mika and Sotoumi? Sotoumi was always against revenge and Mika would be horrified to see her father a killing machine. I won't allow that to happen."

"Sotoumi," he quietly whispered.

"Both of them would hate to see that and I would too. Let's not go off breaking everyone's hearts okay?"

"Fine but at least, if there is anything to fight about, can I fight too?"

"Seeing you dead is not a wish of mine but I will accept your request. I will take back the title of Kachuukage now okay. Please make sure you don't die."

He smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

They walked along the streets, looking for something to eat. Naruto avoided his ramen for the sake of Hinata but received a surprise, one he didn't expect.

"Naruto, can we have ramen please? It must be the baby. It must like ramen like you do."

"Okay…we can have ramen." Confused on the outside but he was practically celebrating in his mind. 'Ramen! Ramen! We're going to have ramen!'

'**Stupid boy. Why am I stuck with him?'**

'Damn fox. Be quiet won't ya?!'

Silence.

'Good,' he thought to himself.

They ate their ramen without saying a word. Hinata was surprisingly eating as though it had been her meal in ages.

"Yep, that child really loves ramen," Naruto commented.

Once they finished, they headed back. During their journey, the baby's health became one of his questions.

"The baby is healthy and quite like you. Probably male?"

"I don't really care what the gender is, as long as we get along together, unlike me and the other kids."

"Don't worry, our child will love you. You're the perfect role model and you may be Hokage as well."

"I hope I do become Hokage! It's my dream to become one, to be respected by all of Konoha!"

"And they shall. You may be the container but you display strong determination and courage. I'm sure Tsunade-sama will pick you as the next Hokage. You'll be just like your father."

"He has the chakra control thing going on, not me."

"Only because of the great amount of chakra you carry. I wouldn't blame you for poor chakra control."

There was an eerie silence, the one that Hinata didn't like.

"Listen Hinata, I may have poor chakra control and I may not be able to control it but I promise to protect. That was why I was sent here."

"What aren't you able to control Naruto-sensei?"

In front of them stood Kurogashi. He was panting slightly, probably because of a lot of training.

"Kurogashi, what are you doing here?"

"I came to buy some milk and bread. Hey, I've been training and my aim is getting better! Anyway, what can't you control?"

"N-nothing. We need to get back home Kurogashi. Hinata-sensei is tired and…"

Naruto turned and held the point of a kunai between his middle and index fingers. Kurogashi's eyes widened. That was fast! A note hung from the handle. Hinata took the kunai out and read the message.

'_My dear Hinata. This is a warning. If you don't give yourself to us, we will declare war. I don't think you want your beloved Naruto's heart crush now do you? Come by tomorrow at noon at the northern outskirts of your town._'

Her hands trembled in fear. The note fell from her hands to the ground. Naruto's wound had healed and supported Hinata. Kurogashi read the note. "What is this Hinata-sensei?"

"S-Sasuke."

* * *

Cliff hangers, I love them! Well, for me to write. Okay, this chapter is dedicated to a certain reader who cheered me up quite a bit and cured my writer's block (for now). Thank you. I hope this chapter was interesting and I wrote it in about an hour (a little bit longer cause of dinner). The end is near everyone!

By the way, I'm sure you have noticed the Naruto/Sasuke thing. I had to do that and just to note, Sotoumi is Mika's mother. It means ocean. Okay, that's about it. Please review!

* * *


	13. The Unwanted Meeting

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto though I do own Tsuki, Kurogashi, Kajou, Mika, Sora and that boy with the boat (unfortunately I forgot his name). 

Last time:

Naruto turned and held the point of a kunai between his middle and index fingers. Kurogashi's eyes widened. That was fast! A note hung from the handle. Hinata took the kunai out and read the message.

Her hands trembled in fear. The note fell from her hands to the ground. Naruto's wound had healed and supported Hinata. Kurogashi read the note. "What is this Hinata-sensei?"

"S-Sasuke."

**Note:** There is some harsh swearing in this chapter. Sorry.

The Unwanted Meeting

* * *

"That bastard! What does he want now?!" He grabbed the note and Kurogashi's hands, which did frighten him. "He wants you or war! I'll go visit him and beat the living shit out of him!" 

The people around them gasped at his bad language. Many parents pushed against their children's ears.

"Naruto, please don't get angry. You know what happen if it's released."

"But that fucking bastard wants you as his freaking play toy! How can I not be angry?" His eyes turned red.

"Naruto, please. I don't want to use the seal."

The process continued. She frantically searched through her pocket for a piece of paper. Once in her hand, she stuck it onto his forehead. His eyes turned blue again and he sank to his knees.

'**And I was just about to have him!'** Kyubi whined.

"Shut up you stupid fox. Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"

Kurogashi was slightly confused. He hadn't seen a seal and what he had didn't involve a living demon. How his sensei's eyes turned red wasn't normal, not for him anyway. His teacher seemed so nice and carefree but now he knew he was hiding something...like him.

"Hinata-sensei, what is wrong with Naruto-sensei?"

"It's…I don't know how to explain it. A curse can be a way to put it."

"A curse? What kind of curse?"

"Kurogashi, I know that you're only curious but please, don't go in any further," she said. Kurogashi just nodded, knowing that someone like him wouldn't want their secret to be exposed then walked away.

She crouched down next to him. "You really need to control that anger of yours." She took the seal off carefully. "I don't want Kyubi to be released and you know that. Its chakra may be too much for you to handle."

"I'm sorry but that Sasuke, he annoys me so much!"

"I know but you can't go on like this. For all I know, that seal won't keep the demon sealed forever. Try and keep relaxed or it might break."

He sighed. "I'll try my best."

They walked back home together, both quite and thinking of the situation. Sasuke had yet to learn of the little form growing inside of Hinata. Naruto would be with her as well so things shouldn't get too bad. "We really need to talk about how we're going to do this," Naruto started.

"I agree but I do think I should go, you know, to prevent this little war he plans. Your mother is right; they're probably planning to attack us in our hearts and our hearts to belong to both lands, our clans, family and friends."

"You do know I'm going right," he said with a small frown. "I don't want him to do anything to you." He lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her gently on the lips. "You keep me safe and happy."

"And you keep me safe and happy as well." She paused for a second. "Naruto, it's not like he's going to kill me. You don't have to worry. He's not going to take me away either."

* * *

The next day, Mika took care of half the class time due to Hinata's 'meeting'. Kushina had been told of the news and insisted on taking another Uzumaki with her just in case. Of course, Hinata refused. It was one offer she found hard to reject. Meeting Sasuke again was just horrifying. Naruto did go since he wanted to beat him up for threatening her. 

Every step towards the northern outskirts brought more stress and pressure. Her breathing grew heavy every few minutes. Naruto offered her his back for a ride but again, she refused.

"Naruto, please stay back until I ask you to come out. Being a ninja, I should be able to do this myself."

"Hinata, I don't want you to get hurt or anything."

"I know but please, let me do this myself. As long as you're nearby, I'll be fine." She smiled at him but was quickly wiped off. They had found him, Sasuke and a white-haired man with glasses. They hid behind a bush. "Stay here," she ordered in a whisper.

She stepped out of the bush Naruto was hiding in, catching Sasuke's attention.

"Ah, Hinata, you're here," Sasuke said. His voice annoyed Naruto greatly. She took note of what he wore. He wore a white loose, long-sleeved shirt and blue pants with a purple strap tied around his waist.

"Like my new outfit?"

She was too frightened to answer but nodded anyway.

"You look wonderful yourself." He walked to her and felt her stomach. Naruto who hid in the bushes growled quietly. "Looks like you're pregnant. In six months time there will be a new baby in the world. Let me guess, Naruto is the father. Have you thought up a name?"

"It's none of your business."

"What's wrong? Why are you so angry?"

"You raped me for your information. It has scarred me but I'm not planning to back down yet. Why do you want me so much?"

"You're a Hyuga for one. You're beautiful and it felt so good when we fu-"

"Don't say another word!"

Naruto had jumped out of the bush. His eyes were filled with anger and hate. "Stay away from her."

Sasuke leaned in forward with a smirk on his face. His lips touched Hinata's. He savoured her lip's sweet taste.

"You bastard!"

He charged at Sasuke at full speed with a kunai in his hand. He managed to cut his wrist as Sasuke leapt away.

"Kabuto, return now!" He turned to face Naruto. "I can't be bothered having a fight right now. I guess we'll be seeing each other some time soon."

They both disappeared. Hinata sat on the ground wiping her lips. Naruto ran to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded her head. "That freaking bastard, he kissed you! He thinks he owns you!"

"Naruto, you're being a bit overprotective now."

"Overprotective or not, he stills needs to learn that he's not yours."

"Naruto…he's going to come back to try and get me. He will also hurt our loved ones."

"Don't worry Hinata, I'll take him on and make sure he'll never want to mess with us again." He wrapped his arms around her, securing her into a warm hug where all her troubles disappeared.

"As a ninja, I'll do my best to help everyone. I don't want to fail again."

"And you," He tightened the grip around her and quickly took in the wonderful smell of her hair. "Because I'll be by your side."

* * *

Okay, chapter 13 is done! This is the Christmas Double Special...well, it includes New Years as well. I'll be away for less than a week. Just wanting to let you know about how long you'll have to wait for the next update. I just want to say one thing before the usual: Merry Christmas everyone! Please review!

* * *


	14. Kurogashi, a Boy like Me

* * *

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Last time:

He wrapped his arms around her, securing her into a warm hug where all her troubles disappeared.

"As a ninja, I'll do my best to help everyone. I don't want to fail again."

"And you," He tightened the grip around her and quickly took in the wonderful smell of her hair. "Because I'll be by your side."

Kurogashi, a Boy like Me

* * *

Before returning to teaching the academy students, Naruto informed his mother to get ninja ready for the upcoming war. Kushina did this without hesitation and called up experienced ninja. Naruto was asked to leave before the meeting with the Uzumaki ninja.

Teaching the students was something Naruto just loved. There were many students who looked up to him because of his amazing skills, especially Kurogashi. Tsuki however became best friends with Hinata. Kurogashi's skills at throwing weapons were improving. Naruto's words had helped him greatky. The next step was hand signs, ninjutsu and chakra control. Hinata took over at this point. She taught them the hand signs that they would use for almost every technique.

"The first technique you'll be learning is the simple Bunshin no Jutsu. The Bunshin no Jutsu is an illusionary technique where you create a clone of yourself. Of course, it wouldn't be real but an illusion. It requires a correct amount of chakra in order to be used." She slowly went through the hand signs. "Bunshin no Jutsu!" With a small puff of smoke, a second and third Hinata appeared. "Without enough or too much chakra, your Bunshin will end up like…"

"Bunshin no Jutsu." Even as a Jounin, Naruto still hadn't perfected the Bunshin technique. His Bunshin lay on the ground, looking pale and dead.

"This," Hinata finished.

The kids gasped as they saw their teacher preform the simple jutsu poorly. Kurogashi's hand went up. "Why can't Naruto-sensei make a good Bunshin like you Hinata-sensei?"

"Naruto-sensei has too much chakra to control. Instead, he uses techniques which use a higher amount of chakra. For example, instead of using the Bunshin no Jutsu, he uses Kage Bunshin no Jutsu which creates an actual body and not an illusion." She signalled Naruto to do the technique.

He grinned. 'My favourite.' "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" With a cloud of smoke, ten Naruto clones appeared.

"You can touch them to feel the difference, "Hinata said.

The children stood from their seats and went to touch a Bunshin. Kurogashi touched the hand of Naruto's clone and smiled. "Wow Naruto-sensei! How much chakra does this use?"

"Quite a bit," Naruto replied.

Tsuki went off to touch one of Hinata's clones. Her hand went straight through the clone. "Now go touch one of Naruto-sensei's clones," Hinata instructed. She went to touch it and she could feel it. Her hand did not go through the clone. Her eyes widened slightly from surprise. "Let's go outside to try the Bunshin technique," Hinata said.

Everyone did so. They followed the hand signs that Hinata had done earlier. Using almost the correct amount of chakra, they called out "Bunshin no Jutsu!" Everyone made a Bunshin, even Kurogashi, probably because he had no demon sealed inside of him, however, it wasn't completely successful. Hinata leaned against Naruto.

"You tired?" Naruto asked.

"A bit from the chakra usage."

"Hinata, we need to get ourselves ready for that war. If we don't then we may not be able to defeat Sasuke."

"Yes but we do have the sword and the brooch."

Naruto had almost forgotten about the brooch. It was pinned to her clothes on her chest. He gently touched it. He leaned in for a kiss but was interrupted by the students.

"Naruto-sensei, Hinata-sensei!"

Hinata turned to them and checked their Bunshins. "They came out yes but not correctly. Some look like they have been beaten up. You need to make them look like something at its best shape."

The students returned to making correct Bunshins. "I think I can only help as a medic-nin. I won't have enough energy to fight."

"That's fine. As long as you're doing the best you can." She kissed the top of her head.

- - - - -

Hinata was in her eighth month. She was getting worried about the war that Sasuke had announced months ago. What if it started too late when she couldn't help at all? She started to sleep at the desk in front of the class. She was too tired to work on chakra. Naruto was the class's main teacher. He taught them about clans, history, more basic jutsu, levels of ninja and everything in a ninja's life. Well, almost everything.

The couple started to think up names for their child. So many names and so little time. But it was fun. A couple of times they thought of what Lee would call the child. Midori was one since Lee seemed to adore the colour green. Maybe Gai or Lee after, well, you should know by now.

Their small class started to learn emergency escape routes where the students would hide safely. Every day, Naruto would go through it at least twice. He didn't want his class to be harmed. Hinata would use her Byakugan to search for Sasuke whenever she had the energy to do it.

She sat, waiting for a small army to come and attack them. It was hard to see beyond the outskirts of the town. It was a slight disadvantage since Sasuke may attack the buildings while their ninja were getting there. She then saw them, she saw a man with quite a bit of chakra. She stood up. "Naruto, Sasuke's here!"

The students saw her eyes, they were all wrinkly. Then they remembered the lesson of clans with bloodline limits. 'The Hyuga clan,' Tsuki thought.

"Hinata, go tell mother about it." She ran out of the room and into Kushina's office. "Everyone, this is no drill, it's the real thing!" A scared girl began to cry. "Don't worry, you'll be safe. Mika-chan will be with you." Naruto led the students through an escape route which led them underground. Mika was already there with a frown on her face. She held his sword in her hands. "Mika, are you okay?"

A single tear slid down her cheek. "I'm sure; this is the clan that killed my mother." She handed him his sword. "Use it well."

He nodded before quickly walking away to the exit. He stopped when someone tugged on his shirt. "Naruto-sensei, may I come with you?"

"You can't. If you do, you'll die."

"Maybe," he said. He pulled the left sleeve of his shirt down to reveal a strange black marking. "Creep Orochimaru put this on me. I don't know why though. Lately I heard that someone called Sasuke had joined him. If Orochimaru isn't here, I'll get Sasuke to send the message." He quickly pulled the shirt back up. "Please Naruto-sensei."

"I'm not sure if that seal is enough though."

"It has given me too much power it's a bit hard to control. I'm still getting used to the high amount of chakra though."

Naruto looked away in thought. "Okay but if I say to leave the area than leave the area."

"Hai!" Kurogashi said excitedly.

They left together and son met up with Hinata. She wore three-quarter pants with a loose top. Sitting at the belt (not sure if that's what it's called) of the pants, was a kunai pouch with several kunai and shuriken and medical items.

"Why is Kurogashi with you?" she asked.

"He's a boy like me," Naruto replied.

* * *

Chapter 14 is done! I hope you enjoyed it cause it will be my last update before I leave for a small vacation. I'll be having lots of fun…I guess. Anyway, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year's Day! Don't forget about those resolutions! Please review!

* * *


	15. War!

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Last time:

He pulled the left sleeve of his shirt down to reveal a strange black marking. "Creep Orochimaru put this on me. I don't know why though. Lately I heard that someone called Sasuke had joined him. If Orochimaru isn't here, I'll get Sasuke to send the message." He quickly pulled the shirt back up. "Please Naruto-sensei."

Naruto looked away in thought. "Okay but if I say to leave the area than leave the area."

"Hai!" Kurogashi said excitedly.

---

"Why is Kurogashi with you?" she asked.

"Coz He's a boy like me," Naruto replied.

War!

* * *

He stared at her with concerned eyes. He knew she wanted to do this but what if she was injured or kidnapped. He would have no idea about it. "Make sure you are careful okay? I don't want you or the baby getting hurt." He gave her a tight hug.

"I will. If anything happens, I'll make sure I'll contact you." She pulled away from him. "You need to go now. Protect the Land of the Whirlpool the way you would for Konoha." She gave him a quick kiss. "Be careful!"

Naruto waved good bye and ran off with Kurogashi. He wanted to transfer chakra to his feet but couldn't. Kurogashi wouldn't catch up with him. He jumped to a rooftop to see what had been going on. Not much had happened but loud roars were heard. He frowned and moved on. "Kurogashi, what power do you have?"

"I was given the Heaven Seal. I was a test subject for the stronger version of it. Instead of having two levels, it now has three."

"What do you mean by three levels?"

"The original seal had two levels. The first level gave the user a boost of power. The second level changes the user's appearance and gains a bigger boost of power. The third level, of the new version gives the user godly powers for a short time. I was only a test subject so that creep might've lengthened the time of the godly power."

"Let's just hope Sasuke doesn't have that seal."

They finally arrived at their destination. Weird looking men ran through the village. Some had swords made of bone. Naruto caught sight of Sasuke. He had finished giving the orders and hid in the woods. One of those weird looking men came up to him with a sword in his hand.

"Naruto, am I right? I hear you are strong."

"Who are you?" Naruto asked angrily.

"Kimimaro." He shoved the sword towards Naruto who dodged out of the way. Naruto blocked a kick which was aimed at his temple. Kimimaro attempted many punches and kicks but only a few were successful.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four clones appeared in a cloud of smoke.. The four clones came up from behind, each one kicked him up higher into the air.

"U!"

"Zu!"

"Ma!"

"Ki!

The real Naruto jumped into the air. "Naruto Rendan!" He landed a kick onto Kimimaro's chest. He attempted to lift his foot away but realised it was stuck. He looked down and saw his foot trapped in a cage of bones. "W-what's going on?" he yelled into the air. Kimimaro grabbed his foot and smashed him into the ground.

"My kekkei genkai," he answered. He slowly walked towards, aiming the sword at Naruto's neck. "We can manipulate our bones to create weapons." His bone touched the skin of his neck.

"Naruto-sensei!" Kurogashi cried. His favourite sensei couldn't die.

Kimimaro cut the neck before it went POOF.

"A shadow clone?" Kimimaro said to himself.

Kurogashi sighed. 'Naruto-sensei.'

"Behind you!" Kimimaro turned. He saw a sphere of spinning chakra in Naruto's hands. "Rasengan!" He shoved it into Kimimaro's back, throwing him hard into a wall.

"Wow," Kurogashi whispered.

"I'm not done yet." Kimimaro stepped up, coughing up blood. Kurogashi thought for a while.

"Naruto-sensei, you go on! I can handle this guy."

"Kurogashi, you can't, you're only a student," Naruto protested.

"I may be a student but it doesn't mean I don't have the strength to help you. Now go!"

Naruto sighed and ran off to where he last saw Sasuke. Kurogashi did have the Heaven Seal. As he transferred chakra to his feet, he prayed that Kurogashi would survive the fight. Kurogashi was a precious person of his.

* * *

The screams she heard were horrible. She wanted to leave the place but she couldn't. She promised to herself and to Naruto that she would do whatever she could to help. While bandaging up a sprained wrist, she couldn't help but wonder whether Naruto will defeat Sasuke or not. 'Naruto will defeat Sasuke! I just hope that he doesn't go loose.'

"Now don't carry anything heavy. It should be okay in two weeks," she instructed.

"Arigato!"

The girl ran off to find shelter while she smiled. 'Another person helped,' she thought. Her happiness didn't last too long though. A tight grip held her shoulder. Instantly, she transferred chakra into her brooch. A dome began to spin around her, making the person lose their grip. She turned to see a grinning man with a sword made out of what seemed to be bone.

She stood up and ran. Even with the dome around her it was dangerous. She needed to find some place safe before she couldn't use anymore chakra. Her time was little. The dome began to falter and disappear. The man stood in front of her, still having that wicked grin on his face.

"Come girl, the master wishes to see you."

Hinata shook her head. She knew the master was Sasuke. 'Why am I so scared? Is it because I am tired from the use of chakra and I won't be able to do anything? Or is it because my fear of him stills stands?'

The man pulled something out. It was like a head. Tears streamed down her face, 'It must be Mika's mother!'

"If you don't want to end up like this bitch, follow my instructions."

It was Mika's mother…head. She saw a resemblance between the two. What shocked her more was that half her dream was coming true. 'I shouldn't have left Naruto's side!' The man gestured her to follow him. Too scared to fight or run, she followed his orders obediently. As they walked, she thought of what Naruto might've said to her. '_Don't run away from your problems._'

'I guess I have to face this myself.'

She followed the man until they entered a large cave. In front of her sat Sasuke with Kabuto next to him. He grinned and ordered the man away. "It's nice to see you again Hinata. I see the baby is due soon."

She stood in her place silent. She didn't know what to do or say. Her mind was in chaos, completely forgetting of what she was to do when anything happened to her.

'Naruto,' she thought.

* * *

Kurogashi's seal was activated. Markings that looked like raindrops covered his entire body. Kimimaro grinned and activated his. Their fight was about to begin. "Give me your best shot!"

* * *

And that is it for chapter 15! Sorry it came out a bit late and sorry if the fighting scenes aren't any good. I was never good with writing fighting scenes.

Hey, I've been addicted to Fruits Basket lately, especially to the KyoxTohru pairing. I want to write something about them but I don't know what. Sorry about this random thing. Fruits Basket shouldn't be mentioned in a Naruto story.

Anyway, please review and enjoy the New Year!

* * *


	16. Kurogashi vs Kimimaro

* * *

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine and never will be even if I had the money (which I never will).

Last time:

She stood in her place silent. She didn't know what to do or say. Her mind was in chaos, completely forgetting of what she was to do when anything happened to her.

'Naruto,' she cried out to herself.

---

Kurogashi's seal was activated. Markings that looked like raindrops covered his entire body. Kimimaro grinned and activated his. Their fight was about to begin. "Give me your best shot!"

Kurogashi vs. Kimimaro

* * *

He felt the power surge through him. It was a good feeling but of the evil type. His cursed seal was to be used only on in a bad situation. He didn't want to become evil; he wanted to be like Naruto, to help and protect others. Not hurt them.

He advanced to the second level. His hair grew slightly longer. His skin turned brown and wings in the shape of hands sprouted out of his back. He knew he wouldn't beat Kimimaro on the first.

Kurogashi charged at the older man with a kunai. He drew the kunai across Kimimaro's chest but his hand was stuck in the cage of bone. His hand-shaped wings flapped a couple of times and pulled him out of the cage.

"I see Orochimaru-sama has given you the Heaven Seal. My, my, it must be the stronger version. I hear only you survived. He then gave it to Sasuke-san."

"I don't care if that hell of a bastard gives the seal to another bastard!"

"Don't you dare talk about Orochimaru-sama that way!"

Kurogashi quickly pulled out a kunai, hoping that his kunai skills were good enough. He saw Kimimaro come at him with his bony sword. With his kunai, he blocked the incoming sword, only to find his kunai torn half way. "What kind of sword is that?"

"A very strong one made completely out of bone…my bone." He attacked again, this time cutting the kunai into two.

"That's really strong," Kurogashi commented. "I guess weapon against weapon won't work for me." He made a couple of hand signs. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Kage Bunshin?" With a poof of smoke, three clones appeared. "That's a high level ranking technique. Where did you learn it?" he asked calmly.

"Naruto-sensei."

'Almost there!' he thought. He grinned to himself. 'This will be the day when the bastard dies!'

"Sasuke!" he yelled.

* * *

He suddenly had his eyes on the entrance to the cave. "He's coming," he said. Sasuke lowered himself until he and Hinata were at eye level. He could easily see the fear in her eyes. "Remember our bargain Hinata? Once the baby is born, you will come with me or Naruto will suffer. Do you hear that?"

She slowly nodded her head. She was tired, tired enough not to fight. She felt his hand on her growing baby. "We will have a child of our own. Excited?" Tears only ran down her cheeks. She didn't want to leave Naruto alone with the baby! She couldn't. He had almost no idea how to take care of a child and she wanted to be with him…forever.

"Hinata-chan?!"

She was snapped out of her thoughts, hearing his voice, the voice that she wouldn't hear for a while. She turned to him, forcing the tears back. "Naruto, I'm going with Sasuke after the child is born," she cried.

"Hinata-chan, what are you talking about?"

"I don't want you to suffer!" she screamed. She ran behind Sasuke and tightly hugged him. Sasuke only smirked.

"You see, she loves me."

"You're making her do this! I swear I'll rip her head off!" He felt the chakra surge through his body. That Sasuke made him so mad. "I'll kill you and make sure Hinata-chan is safe!"

That was it, she didn't want him to see her. She turned around and ran off towards a tunnel near the back of the cave.

"Hinata-chan!" his voice stopped her once more. It was slightly demonic this time. It sent shivers up her spine. "Hinata-chan, leave this place! Run away and find Mika. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four of him appeared. One of him ran up to her, firmly wrapping her up in his arms, careful not to hurt the baby. "Please Hinata-chan," the clone whispered into her hair.

Quietly, she activated her Byakugan. "Okay. There is an exit somewhere in that tunnel."

"Kabuto!" Sasuke called out. Kabuto ran to keep Hinata in the cave. The three clones quickly followed after him.

"Run!" Naruto yelled. His clone and Hinata ran off. Before they disappeared, Hinata mouthed the words 'I love you', and then she was gone. "Okay Sasuke, it's just you and me now."

"Give it up Naruto. You can't defeat me."

With swords in their hands, they ran off, facing each other. Their swords loudly clashed together before they jumped away. Naruto transferred chakra into his sword. "Steel Dragon Technique!" His sword transformed into a dragon. It gave out a loud roar, saying it was ready to fight.

* * *

He heard the roar, he painfully faced to where he heard it. 'Naruto-sensei,' he thought 'Good luck.' He had cuts and bruises on his face and he was beginning to reach his limit. He was still a young boy after all.

"Is that all that you can give me? I thought the seal was the most powerful and I'm using my kekkei genkai and the first level. How pathetic."

"I'm not done yet!" He summoned more clones. It quickly took up his chakra reserve, though his chakra reserve was larger than others. With kunai in each of their hands, they ran to Kimimaro, merely cutting his wrist. The real Kurogashi stood out of sight. He waited for the right time when Kimimaro was slightly off guard. He then ran off and got a grip to his wrist. Kimimaro was surprised. Being surprised wasn't good though. Kurogashi held his other wrist. He placed his leg on his and began to pull.

Despite the painful cries, he kind of enjoyed it, to be in power for once but he quickly pushed that feeling away. With a loud crack, both of Kimimaro's arms were dislocated and unabl to use. He released Kimimaro's wrists then kicked him to the ground.

"Do not underestimate me." He stood aside, thinking his opponent was defeated. He slowly began walking away when he heard a groan. He looked back at Kimimaro and saw his arms in an awkward position. His arms continually squirmed around like worms. "What the?"

With a satisfied grunt, Kimimaro got up, his arms almost as good as ever. "My kekkei genkai allows me to arrange my bones. Even if you break the joints, I can fix it. Though my arms will not be of very good use."

"Then we shall continue our fight."

'No matter what, I can't defeat him! If only I can break his neck or his spine. That's it!' Slowly, he entered the third level. 'This may be fatal but it is what has to be done.' His wings disappeared and his hair turned grey. A bright light began to surround him.

"So this is the third level," Kimimaro said to himself. He shielded his eyes from the bright light.

Kurogashi's hand grew into a large size, like how Chouji would use his arms. His hands quickly moved toward Kimimaro. He dodged every grab. He used his sword to cut the hands but it would heal.

Sweat droplets began to form on his forehead. 'I'm running out of time.' With all his strength, he increased his speed, taking Kimimaro by surprise. He held Kimimaro in both hands as they shrunk. 'I need to finish this fast!' He bent Kimimaro's body but it didn't work.

"My bone is too strong for you to break!"

With his remaining chakra, he snapped his body. There was shock written all over Kimimaro's face. He was dead. Kurogashi returned to his normal form and fell to the ground. He had used too much chakra. He had pushed himself to much and he felt like he was about to die. "Thank you," he said in his quietest voice. "Thank you Naruto-sensei for being my hero." He closed his eyes, too tired to open them once more.

Metres away lay Kimimaro. He lay in his own pool of blood, his face still in its shocked form. He had wished to say sorry to his master for being a failure but couldn't. The minute he snapped he was done for.

Kurogashi still held on for his sensei though. He thought it was definitely the end for him until he heard his sensei's voice.

"Kurogashi!" was the last thing he heard until he fell unconscious.

* * *

That's it for chapter 16! I can't wait to finish this story then I can move on with other stories. I'm not saying that writing this story was a bore, I'm saying that I can't wait to write other stories as well. Anyway, I hope I put in a good fight. I thought it was pretty lame compared to the really good writers but I think that's good enough…for me. School is starting soon and it'll be as hard as ever. I hope I can finish this story before the end of February (end of the hot summer! Yay!). Okay, enough of my chit-chat. Please review!

* * *


	17. Shock and Disbelief

* * *

Disclaimer: Does not belong to me. Am I really that good with plots?

Last time:

"My bone is too strong for you to break!"

With his remaining chakra, he snapped his body. There was shock written all over Kimimaro's face. He was dead. Kurogashi returned to his normal form and fell to the ground.

Kurogashi still held on for his sensei though. He thought it was definitely the end for him until he heard his sensei's voice.

"Kurogashi!" was the last thing he heard until he fell unconscious.

Shock and Disbelief

* * *

The clone and Hinata ran towards Kurogashi. Both of them dropped to their knees. Immediately, Hinata used her Byakugan to find the problem. Her eyes searched his body until she found the problem. She could tell that he had used too much chakra for his own good. She could barely see any chakra in his coils at all.

"Naruto, Kurogashi is almost out of chakra. His muscles have been over-used and there are many cuts. We need to go somewhere safe or I can't help him," Hinata informed. The clone's eyes were filled with worry one second then were full of determination the next. He picked up the unconscious boy and ran off to the Uzumaki residence.

It had taken a while for them to arrive but they eventually did. Remaining maids found a soft bed for Kurogashi and laid him there. Once quickly finished healing major cuts, she turned to her husband's clone. "You do have your own chakra system, don't you?"

The clone nodded.

"Then I'll need you to transfer some of your chakra into his."

Naruto placed his hands above Kurogashi's chest and transferred his chakra into him. He used the smallest amount he could use then backed away.

"Thank you," Hinata said. She used her Byakugan once more to find a bit less then average amount of chakra flowing through the boy's body. She sighed before speaking again. "Unfortunately I can't do much with his muscles. He will be very sore when he wakes up. I'm too tired now." She placed her head on his shoulder. "Wake me when I'm needed."

"Thank you for saving his life," he said. Kurogashi would live because of her. He slowly ran his fingers through her hair. His original was lucky to have Hinata as his wife.

* * *

He ran off to find someone with a light battle suit on him. Though it slowed him down slightly, he would be safe for him for a while. Kushina made sure he wore it. She was still ill but was as protective as ever. She might've been too protective but he loved her. There wasn't a better sister that he could ask for.

He wanted to remember the times where he and his sister were living happily back in Konoha but he couldn't. He stopped as he heard a woman shriek. Cautiously, he crept towards the hut. A familiar evil cackle was heard from inside along with a last horrifying scream. Another civilian had been lost.

His anger fired up, no more killing. He was sick of it all! He held a sharp kunai in his hand, aware of the clan's abilities.

He entered the building with the stealth of a cat but was stopped in his tracks when he saw a lady, dead, next to her three dead children. He growled in anger. In front of them was the man he hated, the man who took his wife's life.

'Now's my chance,' he thought.

"My, my, we meet again Kajou."

He sharply turned to face the man. He was too quick for an old man like Kajou!

"Hakkotsu…" he snarled.

"You seem to be a lot weaker my friend."

Kajou's kunai came at him but it was blocked.

"The boy Kimimaro is of great use. Don't you think? Without him, we don't have these weapons."

Kajou spun around and aimed a kick at him. But it was dodged.

"You've lost your touch!" Hakkotsu teased.

A scroll was taken out from a pouch. Kajou quickly opened and tapped on it, bringing several kunai and threw them. They were well dodged. Hakkotsu came down with the bone high above his head. He quickly took out his katana and blocked it.

Bone and metal clashed against each other many times before they both jumped away. Kajou was slightly puffed. He didn't like this old age stage at all! They went back in again, this time Kajou was hit. A deep cut was formed on his shoulder. He backed away from harm and clutched it with his free hand.

Hakkotsu slowly walked up to him, enjoying the old man's pain. "I remember when I first saw her. She was beautiful. I like to call her a rose. She is a beautiful yet a stubborn one. I don't understand why she didn't come to me. Together we would have power to conquer many villages."

"That's exactly way you beast!"

"We were low on members though. I decided that she was the one."

"Shut up!"

"She seemed to enjoy it at first but became very stubborn at the end. I couldn't finish so there weren't any children. As her punishment for not being co-operative, I starved her for a few days. She still refused to carry my children."

Kajou grinned at this. His wife was always a stubborn one.

"Wipe it off! I knew she wouldn't agree anytime soon so I decided to…kill her."

Kajou swung his katana at him but it was knocked out of his hand. The bony sword came to his neck.

"Shall I do the same for you?" Hakkotsu pressed the sword against his neck, hard enough that the skin was cut and blood began to spill.

* * *

She was worrying in the Kachuukage office. She knew Kajou was strong enough to protect himself but what if he got into trouble that he couldn't possibly get out of? She paced inside the room until she felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. Her head shot up and more worry had filled her mind.

'Kajou!'

She hastily wrote a note before grabbing her own katana and she race to where ever her younger brother was. She couldn't bare it if he died, not for one second, not one moment.

* * *

'At least I'll see you again,' he thought to his dead wife. 'Kushina, I'm sorry.'

The sword was pressed harder onto his skin. He then felt the sword lift high into the air.

"Say your prayers."

"Kajou!"

His eyes snapped open and he instantly regretted it. The sword was covered in blood. Beside him lay his older sister. Her chest carried a deathly gash. Her face was losing its colour and her eyes were turning dull. She looked up at his brother and smiled a warm, genuine smile.

"You're safe…now."

He shook his head in disbelief. This couldn't have happened. It must've been a dream. No. No!

"Kushina!"

* * *

Don't kill me! Anyway, I'm very sorry about the late update. As it says on my profile, I've had writer's block. It was also because of school and giving my computer a makeover. I was planning to put it up last weekend but I had too much homework. I'm so sorry!

And I'm sorry about Kushina but she was supposed to die soon. She couldn't live on much longer. I'll try and get the next chapter up as son as possible! Until then, please review!

* * *


	18. Goodbye

* * *

Disclaimer: I will never own Naruto

Last time:

She looked up at his brother and smiled a warm, genuine smile.

"You're safe…now."

He shook his head in disbelief. This couldn't have happened. It must've been a dream. No. No!

"Kushina!"

Goodbye

* * *

"W-why? Why did you use yourself as a shield? You had a katana!" Kajou screamed at his dying sister.

"I didn't want to die just of illness. It was…more of a…honour…to die…this…way." Her eyes closed, her smile was glued to her lips.

"Kushina please!"

"Too late, she's dead."

Tears streamed down his wrinkled face. With the strength of pure anger, he lifted his sword and swiftly placed a deep gash on the man's stomach.

"Just die already and rot in hell why don't you?!" he screamed. "This one is for Kushina and Sotoumi!"

Hakkotsu clutched his bleeding stomach. It was painful that gash. He watched as Kajou's sword came down at him. He opened his mouth to scream out in pain as the katana pierced through his heart.

Kajou fell to his knees. The one man he hated was dead. He had got his revenge, but at what price? His protective sister…that was the price. He held his sister's head to his chest and wept.

"Kushina…"

* * *

He was in the middle of a battle, fighting Uchiha Sasuke. He had just landed a blow when a single tear slid down his cheek. Naruto quickly wiped it away. 'Why am I crying?'

A few more tear drops fell. Sasuke only smirked. "Am I too strong for you, weakling?"

"I'm just getting warmed up!"

The tears stopped falling. But why did they fall? Hinata couldn't have died or gotten seriously hurt. His kage bunshin was with her. What happened?

Sasuke could see that his opponent was distracted. He took this chance. His sword sliced open Naruto's flesh but stopped. Naruto's katana was in the way. His side was bleeding with Sasuke's sword stuck into it. He was too slow! He growled in frustration.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A hundred clones crowded the caves. Stealthily, he moved away and looked at his wound.

"This trick won't work on me. I can get rid of them all with one jutsu!" Sasuke called out.

Quickly, he looked at his wound. It was deep and painful but he didn't mind too much. His healing ability was taking affect. The wound would be healed in no time.

"Katon: Gougakyuu no Jutsu!"

Plumes of smoke puffed into the air as clones disappeared. Naruto readied his katana as he concentrated on where his opponent could be. He snapped his eyes open as a felt a presence coming from his left. With a swing of his katana, a deep gash had been formed on Sasuke's stomach. One problem though, where was the blood? Sasuke disappeared.

"Above you!"

His own sword was high above his head, ready for a deadly blow. The sound of a sword and katana rang through their ears as another sword fight began.

Sasuke was getting sick of this. At this rate, neither of them would win. He smirked to himself, knowing of a way to weaken his opponent.

"You are lucky to have Hinata-chan as your wife. I'm sure you are pleasured by her like I was."

"Don't bring her deeper into this than she already is!"

"I just want to have her pleasure me again." Sasuke paused. "I loved it how she screamed…"

"Shut up!" Naruto's eyes held fear in them. He didn't want to hear anymore, not about his wife.

"When I defeat you, I'll be having her to pleasure me as much as I wish."

"Shut up you sick bastard!"

Red chakra bubbled around the jinchuuriki's body. Sasuke smirked, this was going to be interesting. Naruto was completely covered with the Kyubi's chakra with two tails hanging high in the air.

Naruto leaped forward, his katana in its sheath, like a fox pouncing on its prey. Sasuke dodged it easily. Arms of chakra stretched out at him, successful at only a scratch on his cheek. A streak of blood poured from the scratch but Sasuke ignored it. He continued to dodge Naruto's attacks.

One of the arms hit the wall, pieces crumbling to the ground. The dust that rose was used as a cover for Sasuke. Without getting seen, he ran behind Naruto. Quickly, he raised his sword and plunged it into Naruto his sword could be seen from the other side. Any normal human would have collapsed but Naruto, he just stared at it, collecting his thoughts while the wound healed and the sword dissolved.

Catching Sasuke off guard, Naruto hit him with one of his tails. Another tail formed. It took every bit of Naruto's self-control not to go into the fourth tail stage. His body was doing badly enough without it.

Sasuke clutched to his side where the tail had hit him. The stinging pain was horrible but he beared it.

'The chakra's poison,' he concluded.

"Any last words?" Naruto asked while creating a Rasengan in the palm of his hand.

He smirked. "Not really just-"

The Rasengan slammed into his body before he could continue. "_**Never**_ talk about that again!" His attack went right through him. He hated how Sasuke's sickening smirk stayed on his face. Naruto raised his fist up high and punched him in the face, knowing full well that Sasuke was dead. He just didn't want the last image of him as a sick smirking bastard. A bloodied face was much preferred.

"That is the last I'll hear from you!"

He was exhausted. Using the Kyubi's chakra was tiring and harmful to his body. He walked a couple of steps away from the dead body and collapsed, grateful for a thing known as sleep.

* * *

Kajou walked in with Kushina's dead body. Naruto's clone was awake the whole time, watching over Kurogashi. He saw his mother and uncle struggling to get inside. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Mother!"

His uncle turned to him with tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Naruto. I couldn't stop her from coming."

Tears fell from the clone's eyes (Sorry but take note). "Mother is…?"

Kajou nodded.

"Hinata! Hinata! Wake up! You need to help mother! Uncle, are you sure she's dead?"

He nodded again.

"No! That can't be true! Hinata!"

"I'm waking. Naruto, please be careful with me." She looked at the clone. Tears were streaming down his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Please tell me that Uncle is lying! Please!"

She turned to Kajou. She couldn't believe what she saw. Blood covered Kajou and the body he held. "Is that Kushina-san?"

He nodded the third time in reply.

Hinata instantly jumped up, crying just like Naruto was.

She checked for breathing.

Kushina wasn't breathing.

She checked for a pulse.

There was no pulse.

She activated her Byakugan to get for movement of chakra, hoping it was.

But there was no movement of chakra.

It was that day that Kushina Uzumaki was announced dead.

"I'm so sorry Naruto."

Naruto refused to speak to anyone. He knew that his mother would die but why then? Couldn't he have another week? A month? The tears had stopped. They only showed weakness.

Hinata was by his side, comforting him with tears in her own eyes. Once the news had got around, everyone in the clan mourned for Kushina. She was glad that Naruto had stopped crying. It was strange to see him cry like that. But all of a sudden, he was crying out. It was as if he was in pain. Knowing that Naruto was probably still fighting against Sasuke, she activated her Byakugan. Too much chakra, red chakra to be exact, was flowing through the body. It was disappear if it had continued.

"It hurts!" the clone cried out.

"You're going to be fine. Just dispel yourself."

"My orders were to keep you safe. Even if you are at the Uzumaki residence!"

The clone continued to cry out in pain. It surprised Hinata that the clone was still holding out just for her. She tolerated the cries. It only got louder and more painful.

'He is just a clone,' she repeated to herself. It was painful to see him suffer like that.

Then the clone disappeared. She was glad it was gone, half because she couldn't bear to see it suffer and the other because it was, to be honest, deafening.

She got up and headed out the door. Naruto had been using the Kyubi's chakra. She needed to get there and heal his injuries.

"Hinata-sama!" a girl with black hair called out. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out."

"But I thought Naruto-sama didn't allow you to."

"I don't care. I'm going out," Hinata replied.

"But your pregnant!" the girl protested. "It may harm the baby!"

Hinata smiled at her. "I appreciate your concern but you shouldn't worry."

"Well then, if you're going, then I would like to come! I want to help Naruto-sama to repay for Kushina-sama's kindness."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine, you can come along but only you. What's your name?"

"Yuuretsu!"

"What a nice name."

"Arigatou."

And they left without telling anyone.

--

They found Naruto, lying face down on the floor, breathing heavily. His clothes had a neat rip near his heart. Hinata thought it might've been an attack. A close one too.

"Naruto, are you okay?" She turned him over and saw the trail of tears. His eyes were still wet. "You know, huh?"

There were no major injuries but healed hit cuts anyway. While she did, fresh tears fell from her eyes. "Naruto, I'm sorry. I couldn't help her. By the time Kajou arrived, she was already dead. I'm so sorry." The green bubbly chakra disappeared as she laid her head on his chest while he sobbed. "I'm so sorry." A weak but firm hand played with her silky blue hair. She looked up.

"It's not your fault Hinata. You did what you could to help her."

The tears came down heavily now from both of them. Hinata leaped into his arms crying her heart out.

'They've only known her for half a year but they can still cry up all the water in their bodies. I've only known her since she picked me up from the streets. That was when I was eight. Three years I've known her yet I can't cry like they can,' Yuuretsu thought.

Tears then slid down her face. 'Kushina-sama, I'll miss you.'

* * *

Two types of tears were spilled on August 11th. It was the day of Kushina's funeral.

Tears of loss.

It was also the day a child was born. Her parents named her Hikari Uzumaki. She was the heiress of the Uzumaki clan.

Those were tears of joy.

The couple didn't know how but they cried both tears at once. They were so happy that their child was born, but on the day of Kushina's funeral? At least the birth lightened up most of the people's spirits.

Before the day that they left, Naruto spoke. "As Head of the Uzumaki clan, I'd like to take it back to Konoha with me."

Many shook the heads, not wanting to go to a place where they were sure to be rejected.

Naruto growled in anger. "So what the clan has been disgraced by a single member? I don't want the Uzumaki clan to be known as cowards. Face your fear. The worst possible outcome is that the Hokage kicks the clan out of the village. That is highly unlikely though. Tsunade-baachan isn't mean to anyone except for me, Shizune and the occasional ninja that caught her in a bad mood. Who stands by me?"

"I agree with Naruto-sama!" a small voice called out. Yuuretsu stepped out. "I may not have been there when the Uzumaki clan ran away but I wish for it to go back! I'm sure Kushina-sama would want us to face our fears rather than run from them. I stand by Naruto-sama!"

There were whispers among the crowds until most of the clan cheered, most.

Kajou and Mika stepped out. "I'm afraid we cannot go Naruto-kun," Kajou started. "This village won't run on its own. I cannot simply leave it behind."

"Then what shall you do?" Naruto asked.

"We'll create a new clan using the surname of the man Mika chooses to marry. The land's name shall remain the same though."

Mika stepped forward, giving her relatives a farewell hug. "I'll miss you Hinata-san, Naruto-san."

"We'll miss you too," Hinata replied.

Little Hikari began to cry, as if knowing what was going on. Mika planted a soft kiss on the child's forehead.

"I'm sorry Hikari-chan. I'm sure your parents will take good care of you. Yuuretsu too. I hope to see you another day."

Naruto then turned to face his clan. "It is official," he announced. "The Uzumaki clan shall return to Konoha. People who would like to stay, please do. I am not forcing anyone to come." He smiled as the clan cheered in agreement. Next stop, the classroom.

Hinata and Naruto, along with little Hikari stepped into a room of sad faces.

"Is it true you're leaving?" a student asked.

"Yes, it is true. We'll be going back to Konoha," Naruto answered.

"Sensei, is that your baby?"

He nodded proudly. "This is our daughter Hikari. Hinata faced the child to the class. Hikari smiled and laughed.

"She's so cute!" a girl cried out.

The students got out of their seat to hug their teachers goodbye and take a closer look of Hikari for the first and probably last time.

"We'll miss you Naruto-sensei! You too Hinata-sensei!" The students said in unison.

"When you can, visit us. By then I'm sure to be Hokage!"

The children laughed.

"Goodbye Kurogashi," Naruto said once they were away from the crowd. "Become stronger for me, okay?"

Kurogashi nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes.

Tsuki looked away, her hands in her pockets. Finally she jumped forwards and hugged her sensei's waist, careful of the baby. "I'll miss you sensei!"

"I'll miss you too. Come by Konoha any time. We'll be more than happy to see you again. Same goes for you Kurogashi." He faced her and nodded.

--

They were at the shore. The whole clan was there ready to depart. Several boats were lined up at a small dock. Everyone got on except for Mika, Kajou, the few that chose not to go, Naruto and Hikari.

"I've disabled the whirlpools. You have a bit more than 24 hours to get past them," Kajou informed them.

Naruto bowed, taking Kajou and Mika by surprise. "Thank you."

Kajou bowed back. "We are honoured to have the future Hokage in our village."

"Do I take that as good luck?"

His uncle gave him a nod.

"Sir! Come on board please!" The sailor called.

"Coming! Goodbye Uncle, Mika. We'll miss you."

"We'll miss you too."

The small family got onto to their boat. The boats sailed away. They were almost out of sight when Mika called out.

"Don't forget to visit or contact us!"

"I'll send you letters!" Naruto yelled back. "But I don't think that I can visit. Goodbye!" Everyone was waving.

Though it was noisy, the baby slept peacefully. Everything was going to be fine.

* * *

That's the end of chapter 18! So sorry I couldn't post it up earlier! I was busy and had bad writer's block (and I mean bad!). I just finished reading the book Twilight and it sort of cured it. The story isn't finished yet! There's still a bit more!

By the way, Yuuretsu, which means bravery or courage, is a new character at the end of a story. Sounds kinda silly but I thought it be nice to have her for future stories. I'll explain her story in the next series.

Okay, I think that's it. Please review and have a happy and safe holiday (bit late to say that, right?)!

* * *


	19. Undying Tears

* * *

Disclaimer: Naruto will never be mine

Disclaimer: Naruto will never be mine. Even if I do have a million bucks. I'd just ruin the whole thing anyway.

Last time:

The boats sailed away. They were almost out of sight when Mika called out.

"Don't forget to visit or contact us!"

"I'll send you letters!" Naruto yelled back. "But I don't think that I can visit. Goodbye!" Everyone was waving.

Though it was noisy, the baby slept peacefully. Everything was going to be fine.

Undying Tears

* * *

They were still on the boat. At least the whirlpools were gone. Certain death was definitely out of the way.

"Hinata-sama, Naruto-sama, is there I can get for you or Hikari-san?" Yuuretsu asked her masters.

Hinata frowned and Yuuretsu panicked. What did she do wrong this time?

"Please stop with the '–sama's and '-san's," her master told her.

Now she was puzzled. "Why Hinata-sama?" Oops. Wrong decision. Never ask why when your masters order you to do something.

Instead, Hinata smiled, taking Yuuretsu completely by surprise. "There's no reason for you to. That's why."

"But…"

"How about I try this. I command you to stop the '-sama's and '-san's."

"But there's no respect in that!" Yuuretsu protested.

"Then at least stop using '-sama'. '-san' at the most."

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Of course you will show respect to others but the honorific really isn't needed. We're thankful for your help."

"Help in what?"

"You supported us. We probably wouldn't be able to bring the Uzumaki back to Konoha if it wasn't for your reasoning."

"O-okay. I'll try my best."

"Oh, Yuuretsu-chan. Can I call you Yuu-chan?" Hinata asked.

The young girl nodded.

"And one more thing. Would you like to be Hikari-chan's sister? I'm sure Naruto and I will be busy at some time and we need someone to take care of her."

"Hikari-san's older…sister?"

"Call her Hikari-chan."

"Hikari-chan's?"

Hinata nodded with a smile. It was one of those warm smiles that only loving people can give.

Yuuretsu nodded eagerly. "Hai! I will do my best to be Hikari-chan's sister!"

* * *

'I feel so tired…and hungry.'

Her hair was a mess. It was all tangled and stuck with dirt and mud. Her clothes were dirty as well. Small blood stains were visible on the once white coat.

She walked through the streets of Konoha, the place she had rarely been privileged to see. It was beautiful. She wasn't going anywhere I particular but she just walked. She took a turn that led her to something blue. She raised her hands to protect her eyes from the light.

In front of her was a lake. A very beautiful one too. The water was so clean and clear. She walked towards the edge, taking in the lake's serene beauty.

She cupped her hands in the cool water and brought it up to her face. The water was nice on her face. She rubbed the blood and dirt off her face, arms and legs. She took her coat off and left it in the water, waiting for it to take the stains out of the coat.

With her brown pants rolled up to her knees, she placed her legs into the water. It was relieving in a way, to feel clean again.

She closed her eyes, unaware of the dreams waiting for her.

--

Sweat was rolling down her face. The struggle to get away from her crazy master was horrible. He had sent out a few of his guards to stop her from escaping.

Her master had attempted to make her have children. Her medical skills were helpful and he hoped to have another doctor like her in his family. He had brought another servant. The man was smart like her but selfish. He did everything to her.

Her master's plan was successful. It was just another nine months and she had to leave before the baby was born.

She planned and escape and her master found out. On the night of the escape, he had sent the guards to go after her. She could only dodge. She had no fighting skills.

Her current state was the result of all that.

Tears fell from her eyes as she remembered it all.

"Wake up," a voice said.

Now she was alert. Her eyes shot open and she sat up in a defensive stance.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." A dog barked in agreement.

Her blurry eyesight was finally focusing. A large white dog was the first thing she noticed. Next to it was a man. He had messy brown hair and red marks on his cheeks. She instantly crawled to a corner at the sight of a man.

"P-please, don't do anything to me," she pleaded.

The man's eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, I may be perverted but I don't do stuff without a lady's permission."

The perverted part freaked her out even more. She pulled her knees up and rested her head on top of them.

"Please, don't hurt me."

"I won't," he promised.

She didn't relax though.

"Hey, Miss, what's your name?"

"S-Sakura."

"Hello Sakura-chan. I'm Kiba but you can just call me Kiba-kun." A whine was heard. "Oh yeah. This is my dog, Akamaru."

Sakura only stiffened more.

"Don't' worry about the '-kun' then."

"Kiba-san, where am I?" she asked in a scared whisper.

"You're in the Inuzuka residence!" Kiba said proudly. "We'll take good care of you." He placed a hand on her back. Sakura only yelped in surprise.

"Oi! Kiba! You better not be scaring that girl!" a booming voice came from another room.

A young lady stomped into the room. She looked a bit like Kiba except with neat tied back hair.

Sakura was only frightened more. She wanted to cry and find her dear friend but she couldn't show any more weakness than she has already shown.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry dear. Did I scare you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I'm Hana Inuzuka. If my little brother here scares you or does anything bad, call me and I'll kick his sorry ass for you. Won't I Kiba?"

"Yes," he replied.

"Good. I've got dogs to attend to now so if you will excuse me." And she left the room.

'Great. Now I'm all alone again with the perverted man and the over-grown dog.'

"Man she can be a bitch," Kiba muttered.

"I heard that!"

"Damn! I'll be dead by the end of today. So Sakura-chan, tell me about yourself."

She only shook her head.

"Maybe I'll have to force you to say something," he said seductively.

A fist was thrown in his face. Sakura sat in her little corner, terrified, while Kiba rubbed his sore eye.

"You've got a good punch."

She saw her coat, folded up at her feet. She grabbed it and ran for the door, putting the coat on in the process. Once Hana was found, she immediately ran to her side.

"What's wrong?" Hana asked in a sweet voice, completely different from the tone she used with Kiba. "Did Kiba bother you?"

Sakura nodded. "I-I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you but I get easily freaked out by men these days," she explained.

"Ah yes. My little brother is too perverted. I told kaa-san to do something about it. A dog bite at his balls won't be enough though."

Sakura looked around the room. There were puppies lying with their mother in one corner. In front of her was a table, too small to hold a human. A dog was lying on it, whining in pain.

"How many dogs are there?"

"Quite a few. The Inuzuka clan has a special bond with dogs. Each one of us is partnered with a dog for life. We have strong sense of smell. It's pretty convenient for tracking things."

"Wow. Do they all fight?"

"No. Some of our dogs are given to those who aren't ninja. Those are the gentle of what we breed."

"Is that dog with the puppies a part of the gentle kind?"

"Yes, they are. Say, you're acting like a scared child. What happened to you?"

Sakura told Hana the whole story while Hana helped the dog on the table. Once she was finished, she took a deep breath. "By the way, how did I get here?"

"Oh, Kiba found you sleeping on the bank of the lake. He smelled blood and decided to take you here."

"I…I guess I better say thank you to him…and sorry."

"Why?"

"I punched him in the face…"

Hana roared with laughter. She held onto the table to keep her standing. "You…you punched him in the face?"

"Yes…is that good?"

She waited a minute to calm down. "Of course it's good! He needs a good bashing from a girl other then myself and kaa-san."

"I'll go see Kiba-san now. Do you know where he might be?"

"I'll take you there."

"Arigato Hana-san."

--

They found him training behind the large home of the Inuzuka. Sakura watched him as he worked with the dog - Akamaru was it? – like they were two parts of the one mind. They worked so well together.

"I'll leave now. I still have more dogs to heal. See you." Before she left, she called out to Kiba. "Oi! Sakura-san is here to talk to you!"

"Sakura-chan?" He stopped his training. His black eye was visible. "Sakura-chan, what to you want to talk to me about?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to say I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. I get bruises all the time!"

"And I wanted to say thank you for taking my in."

He blinked. "Oh, uh…how can I leave a cute girl lying in the cold lake?"

Sakura smiled slightly but she was annoyed by the 'cute girl' thing.

"Please do not try anything on me. I've been…hurt by men and I'll do anything to defend myself, even if is something small."

"Yes ma'am."

Sakura giggled. "Please continue training."

And he did. She watched contently as Kiba and Akamaru trained with each other.

* * *

The Uzumaki clan had finally arrived. The older generation were nervous but walked to the tower proudly. Naruto had told the clan to wait outside. The small family went to the Hokage's office. They were happy to be back home again. They walked in, not knowing they were interrupting something.

Hinata froze in her spot once seeing familiar pink hair.

"Oh, Naruto, Hinata, you've come back! And who's that there?"

Naruto looked to where Tsunade's eyes trailed to. He grinned proudly at the bundle in Hinata's arms, then to the Hokage.

"That's my little Hikari-chan!"

Hinata snapped out of her frozen state and stared at the pink haired girl.

"S-Sakura-chan?" she said, keeping her voice low. Was this a dream or something?

The girl turned to face Hinata.

"Hinata?"

Hinata immediately passed the child into Naruto's arms. "Sakura-chan!"

She took her long lost friend into her arms, embracing her into a tight hug. Tears strolled down both of their cheeks.

"How? How come you're here?"

"Master had gone crazy. He wanted to me give birth to a child that could help him if I died. I left before the nine months was up. I'm just so glad to know that you have freed yourself!"

"You're pregnant?"

Sakura was hoping to avoid this subject. "Yes."

"Don't worry about it! I'll help you! I've been learning medical nin-jutsu and I know what it's like to have a baby. I'm so happy!"

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt but we have a few things to talk about. Sakura, you are safe to live in this village. Kiba can take care of you until you get back onto your feet." She turned to face Naruto. "I want a report. I've been waiting for you to come back for months. You do know you will pay back for this Naruto?"

"Hai."

"I want an oral report now! Write it down later."

Naruto told the Hokage everything that happened, every important detail. At the end of the report, he asked if he could form a new clan within Konoha.

"Hinata needs to decide first, whether she wants to stay as Hyuga or Uzumaki," Tsunade said.

"I wish to give up my position as Head of the Hyuga and join the Uzumaki," Hinata told her.

"Who will be the Hyuga Head then?"

"I would like Neji-niisan to take my place and request that Hanabi is not given the seal."

"Why Neji and not Hanabi?"

"I believe that Neji can make the clan a strong one and a happy clan too. I hope that he can lessen the strictness of the clan. Hanabi still needs to realize that power is not everything."

"Naruto, I grant you permission to form a new clan. Sign this paper, and the Uzumaki will again be an official clan in Konoha."

He kissed his wife's forehead and passed Hikari to her before he signed the paper.

"The Uzumaki clan is now official."

* * *

It had been five months since they returned. Sakura stayed with the Inuzuka the whole time. There has been some noticeable chemistry between her and Kiba. It was especially obvious with Kiba. A fellow ninja by the name of Rock Lee has taken interest in the beautiful woman.

Hinata and she would meet up almost every day to have their fun. They talked about Lee, families, Kiba, the Inuzuka clan, the Uzumaki clan and more.

Basically, things had been running smoothly. It wasn't at the start though. Hiashi was furious that Hinata had given up her position and gave it to Neji. Hanabi was upset but agreed to her older sister's decision. Neji was the grateful one. He now had a small family of his own – himself, Tenten and little Ryuu.

Everyone was quite happy now. Like Sakura said, 'every cloud has a silver lining'.

* * *

That's the end of the story everyone! I hope you all liked it. It may be the end of the story but it isn't the complete end. A sequel mainly about Hikari and her life will come out around the end of this year of something. I'm planning to write a few other others before I continue with this.

I was also thinking of writing a small story about Sakura and Kiba. I hope you don't mind the pairing. As I was saying, I might create a story about the couple. I'll put up a poll on my profile.

I don't think that there's anything else that I need to say. I'll put up some info on my profile every now and then to keep things updated…maybe. Other than that, please send reviews. Ones on how I can improve will really help. Thanks.

Okay, bye until the next story minna-san!

* * *


	20. Author's Note

Hello everyone, it's me! LadyxSerenity!!

I'm terribly sorry that the sequel for the Undying Trilogy has not yet come out. Right now, I'm working on something that I can publish as a book or enter into a competition. That isn't going too well so far. But I am planning to publish a oneshot as I have not published anything for how long?!

Anyway, I wanted everyone to take note that Conejo Uzumaki has made a side story to my trilogy called Undying Faith: The NejiTen Story. I am hoping that will satisfy everyone.

Other than Conejo's story and my upcoming oneshot, I might not continue the sequel. I currently have no will to update the series anymore. If I do, then story's gonna be rather crap. Also I'm becoming more busier as the years come by.

Gomen everyone! I am really sorry about this! But yeah, I guess it can't be helped. Sorry again.

LadyxSerenity

P.S. I will release another notice when the oneshot comes out.


	21. Author's Note II

Well well, looks like the one shot is finished! It is called Only Light.

This is slightly different from my usual stories. It's a more friendship than a romance story. Anyway, I hope you like it.

LadyxSerenity


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